Movie and TV Reviews

Culture Representation: Taking place primarily in an unnamed city in England, the dramatic film “She Is Love” features an all-white cast of characters representing the middle-class.

Culture Clash: Two former spouses, who haven’t seen or spoken to each other in 10 years, have an awkward reunion when she checks into the inn where he lives with his current girlfriend, who owns the inn.

Culture Audience: “She Is Love” will appeal primarily to people who don’t mind watching aimless movies that have no real plot and mainly show people looking and acting uncomfortable with each other.

Marisa Abela in “She Is Love” (Photo courtesy of Brainstorm Media)

Everything about the rambling drama “She Is Love” looks like an improvisational sketch that was dragged into an unnecessary and tedious movie. The cast members are talented, but the characters they play are empty and annoying. The movie’s fake-looking ending looks like a lazy cop-out that doesn’t ring true. It’s one of many misguided aspects of this dreadfully dull film.

Written and directed by Jamie Adams, “She Is Love” had its world premiere at the 2022 BFI London Film Festival. The movie takes place in an unnamed city in England, primarily at one location: a bed-and-breakfast inn. In the beginning of the movie, it’s a Friday, and a restless woman named Patricia (played by Haley Bennett), who also goes by the name Pat, has arrived at the inn because her boyfriend Taylor (voiced by Jay Jippet) has booked a room for her at the inn.

Patricia is a creator of TV shows, and she travels a lot for her job. It’s vaguely explained that she’s at the inn on some sort of vacation where she wants to spend some time alone. The movie’s story begins on a Friday and ends on a Sunday. By the end of this weekend, Patricia will not only have the opposite of a vacation of solitude, she’s also so “in your face” irritating, viewers of “She Is Love” will want to Patricia to go away.

The first thing that Patricia does when she checks into her room is complain. She mutters to herself, “This room is ugly.” It doesn’t take long before her so-called restful vacation gets interrupted by loud music coming from another room. Patricia goes to the source of the noise and sees a musician named Idris (played by Sam Riley) playing music on DJ equipment, as if he’s in a nightclub. Idris and Patricia look at each other in shock. She’s so in shock, she quickly walks out of the room.

Idris follows her and says, “I’m sorry about the noise. I didn’t know anyone was here.” Patricia says to him, “What are you doing here?” Idris replies, “I kind of live here. I can’t believe it. The last I heard you were living in America.” It’s soon revealed how Patricia and Idris know each other: They used to be married to each other, they got divorced, and they haven’t seen or spoken to each other in about 10 years.

Patricia insists that she’s at this inn purely as a coincidence, because her boyfriend booked the room at the inn for her. More awkwardness ensues because the person who owns the inn and lives there too is Idris’ current girlfriend Louise (played by Marisa Abela), a perky aspiring actress who’s about 15 years younger than 39-year-old Idris. Quicker than you can say “formulaic sitcom idea,” Louise suddenly comes home to tell Idris the good news that she got a role that she really wanted. Idris nervously steers Louise outside and doesn’t want her to go inside until he tells her the news that his ex-wife unexpectedly showed up and is staying at the inn.

Idris tells Louise it’s a bizarre coincidence that Patricia is a guest at the inn, and he assures Louise that nothing is going to happen between him and Patricia. And what a coincidence: Louise has to go out of town for a few days because of this new acting job. The rest of the movie shows what happens when Patricia and Idris spend a lot of time alone together, get drunk, and act like people who have too much time on their hands but have nothing meaningful to say for most of that time. It’s all just so boring to watch.

Bennett and Riley seem to be attempting to make Patricia and Idris believable as an ex-couple with unresolved feelings for each other. The problem is that it never looks genuine that these two were ever in love. Anything that’s supposed to pass for “sexual tension” between Patricia and Idris just come across as forced. And to make matters worse, insufferable Patricia is so insulting to Idris, it’s even harder to believe that Idris could possibly be falling back in love with her.

In one of their early “reunion” conversations, Idris (who performs in a semi-famous rock band) tells Patricia that he’s still a musician. Patricia rudely says, “So, you’re doing the same thing. I’m a bit disappointed.” It’s quite the display of disrespectful and condescending judgment from someone who has no say in how Idris should lead his life and what should make him happy.

Later, when Idris and Patricia have a drunken argument, she says to him: “You can’t deal with anyone broken. That’s why you go for Louise.” Irdrs replies, “You break everything you touch!” And then, Patricia shows how cruel she can be when she says to Idris: “The only good thing about you is your dad. And he’s dead.”

“She Is Love” is a misnomer, because Patricia is not a very loving or lovable person. The movie becomes a slog of Patricia and Idris lurching from drunken activity to drunken activity, all while having witless conversations. They play tennis while intoxicated. They put on face powder, wear white clothes, and run around the inn, as they pretend that they are ghosts.

And (cliché alert), at one point, Idris brings out his acoustic guitar and plays a drippy love song about you-know-who. And through it all, Idris and Patricia continue to argue. It’s as if Patricia and Idris are trying to convince themselves that maybe they’re smart and interesting, but the results prove that they are just the opposite.

Another thing that looks phony about this movie is that for an inn of this size (it looks like there are at about six to eight bedrooms), no one seems to taking care of this property except Louise and Idris. There are no signs of any maids, caretakers, maintenance workers or cooks. Even if business is slow, it’s hard to believe that Louise and Idris are doing all the physical upkeep of this property all by themselves.

Louise is preoccupied with auditions, while Idris just seems to lounge around the inn and play music when he’s in between gigs. The inn has one quasi-receptionist named Kate (played by Rosa Robson), who walks around with a clipboard and doesn’t seem to do much. Kate certainly isn’t scrubbing toilets, cleaning up the yard, or fixing broken equipment.

It’s an example of how the filmmakers of “She Is Love” couldn’t adequately make a cinematic experience from this very poorly conceived story that has a virtually non-existent plot. At best, “She Is Love” is a story that should have been a very short sketch. It’s too bad that the filmmakers decided to pad it with too much shallow filler and make it into a very disappointing 82-minute movie.

Brainstorm Media released “She Is Love” in select U.S. cinemas, on digital and VOD on February 3, 2023.

2023 Grammy Awards: Beyoncé, Harry Styles win big

February 7, 2023

by Carla Hay

Beyoncé at the 65th annual Grammy Awards at the Crypto.com Arena In Los Angeles on February 5, 2023. (Photo by Sonja Flemming/CBS)

Harry Styles (center) at the 65th annual Grammy Awards at the Crypto.com Arena In Los Angeles on February 5, 2023. (Photo by Sonja Flemming/CBS)

At the 65th annual Grammy Awards, Harry Styles won Album of the Year for “Harry’s House,” but Beyoncé won four awards and made Grammy history by being the artist to win the most Grammys of all time. Beyoncé’s four Grammy wins now brings her total to 32 Grammys. The previous record of winning 31 Grammys was held by Georg Solti, a Hungarian British conductor who was music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra from 1969 to 1991.

The 65th annual ceremony Grammy took place on February 5, 2023, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Trevor Noah hosted the ceremony, which was telecast in the U.S. on CBS, while Paramount+ livestreamed the event. The Grammy Awards are presented and voted on by the Recording Academy.

Beyoncé won Grammys for Best R&B Song (for “Cuff It”); Best Traditional R&B Performance (for “Plastic Off the Sofa”); Best Dance Electronic Recording (for “Break My Soul”); and Best Dance/Electronic Music Album (for “Renaissance”). The latter win was the one that gave her the record-breaking Grammy haul. Beyoncé went into the ceremony with the most nominations (nine), followed by Kendrick Lamar with eight, and Brandi Carlile and Adele with seven each.

In addition to winning Album of the Year, Styles’ “Harry’s House” won for Best Pop Vocal Album. Lizzo’s “About Damn Time” won Record of the Year. Bonnie Raitt’s “Just Like That” was named Song of the Year. Samara Joy won the prize for Best New Artist.

Performers at the ceremony included Bad Bunny, Mary J. Blige, Carlile, Luke Combs, Steve Lacy, Lizzo, Kim Petras, Sam Smith, Styles, and DJ Khaled with Fridayy, Jay-Z, John Legend, Lil Wayne and Rick Ross.

In addition, there were multi-performer segments with certain themes. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, an all-star lineup of hip-hop performers from various generations did a medley of songs. The performers included LL Cool J, Big Boi, Busta Rhymes with Spliff Star, De La Soul, DJ Drama, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Missy Elliott, Future, GloRilla, Grandmaster Flash, Grandmaster Mele Mel & Scorpio/Ethiopian King, Ice-T, Lil Baby, Lil Wayne, The Lox, Method Man, Nelly, Public Enemy, Queen Latifah, Rahiem, Rakim, Run-DMC, Salt-N-Pepa and Spinderella, Scarface, Swizz Beatz and Too $hort. Before this star-studded performance, LL Cool J presented Dr. Dre with the inaugural Dr. Dre Global Impact Award, given by the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective to people who have made an important impact in music by black artists.

Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Chris Stapleton performed a medley of songs in tribute to Robinson and Motown founder Berry Gordy, who were the 2023 honorees for MusiCares Person of the Year. The ceremony’s In Memoriam segment (which had photos of music industry notables who passed away since the previous Grammy ceremony) featured Kacey Musgraves performing “Coal Miner’s Daughter” in a tribute to Loretta Lynn; Sheryl Crow, Mick Fleetwood and Bonnie Raitt saluting Christine McVie with a performance of “Songbird”; and Maverick City Music joining Quavo for “Without You” in remembrance of Takeoff.

The 2023 Grammy Awards telecast was produced by Fulwell 73 Productions for the Recording Academy. Ben Winston, Jesse Collins and Raj Kapoor were executive producers, with Kapoor also serving as showrunner. A pre-telecast portion of the ceremony was livestreamed on Grammy.com.

Here is the complete list of the winners and nominees for the 2023 Grammy Awards:

*=winner

General Field

1. Record Of The Year

Award to the Artist and to the Producer(s), Recording Engineer(s) and/or Mixer(s) and mastering engineer(s), if other than the artist.

Don’t Shut Me Down
ABBA
Benny Andersson, producer; Benny Andersson & Bernard Löhr, engineers/mixers; Björn Engelmann, mastering engineer
Easy On Me
Adele
Greg Kurstin, producer; Julian Burg, Tom Elmhirst & Greg Kurstin, engineers/mixers; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer
BREAK MY SOUL
Beyoncé
Beyoncé, Terius “The-Dream” Gesteelde-Diamant, Jens Christian Isaksen & Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, producers; Brandon Harding, Chris McLaughlin & Stuart White, engineers/mixers; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer
Good Morning Gorgeous
Mary J. Blige
D’Mile & H.E.R., producers; Bryce Bordone, Serban Ghenea & Pat Kelly, engineers/mixers
You And Me On The Rock
Brandi Carlile Featuring Lucius
Dave Cobb & Shooter Jennings, producers; Brandon Bell, Tom Elmhirst & Michael Harris, engineers/mixers; Pete Lyman, mastering engineer
Woman
Doja Cat
Crate Classics, Linden Jay, Aynzli Jones & Yeti Beats, producers; Jesse Ray Ernster & Rian Lewis, engineers/mixers; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer
Bad Habit
Steve Lacy
Steve Lacy, producer; Neal Pogue & Karl Wingate, engineers/mixers; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer
The Heart Part 5
Kendrick Lamar
Beach Noise, producer; Beach Noise, Rob Bisel, Ray Charles Brown Jr., James Hunt, Johnny Kosich, Matt Schaeffer & Johnathan Turner, engineers/mixers; Michelle Mancini, mastering engineer
About Damn Time*
Lizzo
Ricky Reed & Blake Slatkin, producers; Patrick Kehrier, Bill Malina & Manny Marroquin, engineers/mixers; Michelle Mancini, mastering engineer
As It Was
Harry Styles
Tyler Johnson & Kid Harpoon, producers; Jeremy Hatcher & Spike Stent, engineers/mixers; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer

2. Album Of The Year

Award to Artist(s) and to Featured Artist(s), Songwriter(s) of new material, Producer(s), Recording Engineer(s), Mixer(s) and Mastering Engineer(s).

Voyage
ABBA
Benny Andersson, producer; Benny Andersson & Bernard Löhr, engineers/mixers; Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus, songwriters; Björn Engelmann, mastering engineer
30
Adele
Shawn Everett, Ludwig Göransson, Inflo, Tobias Jesso, Jr., Greg Kurstin, Max Martin, Joey Pecoraro & Shellback, producers; Julian Burg, Steve Churchyard, Tom Elmhirst, Shawn Everett, Serban Ghenea, Sam Holland, Michael Ilbert, Inflo, Greg Kurstin, Riley Mackin & Lasse Mårtén, engineers/mixers; Adele Adkins, Ludwig Göransson, Dean Josiah Cover, Tobias Jesso, Jr., Greg Kurstin, Max Martin & Shellback, songwriters; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer
Un Verano Sin Ti
Bad Bunny
Rauw Alejandro, Buscabulla, Chencho Corleone, Jhay Cortez, Tony Dize, Bomba Estéreo & The Marías, featured artists; Demy & Clipz, Elikai, HAZE, La Paciencia, Cheo Legendary, MAG, MagicEnElBeat, Mora, Jota Rosa, Subelo Neo & Tainy, producers; Josh Gudwin & Roberto Rosado, engineers/mixers; Raul Alejandro Ocasio Ruiz, Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, Raquel Berrios, Joshua Conway, Mick Coogan, Orlando Javier Valle Vega, Jesus Nieves Cortes, Luis Del Valle, Marcos Masis, Gabriel Mora, Elena Rose, Liliana Margarita Saumet & Maria Zardoya, songwriters; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer
RENAISSANCE
Beyoncé
Beam, Grace Jones & Tems, featured artists; Jameil Aossey, Bah, Beam, Beyoncé, Bloodpop, Boi-1Da, Cadenza, Al Cres, Mike Dean, Honey Dijon, Kelman Duran, Harry Edwards, Terius “The-Dream” Gesteelde-Diamant, Ivor Guest, Guiltybeatz, Hit-Boy, Jens Christian Isaksen, Leven Kali, Lil Ju, MeLo-X, No I.D., NovaWav, Chris Penny, P2J, Rissi, S1a0, Raphael Saadiq, Neenyo, Skrillex, Luke Solomon, Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, Jahaan Sweet, Syd, Sevn Thomas, Sol Was & Stuart White, producers; Chi Coney, Russell Graham, Guiltybeatz, Brandon Harding, Hotae Alexander Jang, Chris McLaughlin, Delroy “Phatta” Pottinger, Andrea Roberts, Steve Rusch, Jabbar Stevens & Stuart White, engineers/mixers; Denisia “@Blu June” Andrews, Danielle Balbuena, Tyshane Thompson, Kevin Marquis Bellmon, Sydney Bennett, Beyoncé, Jerel Black, Michael Tucker, Atia Boggs p/k/a Ink, Dustin Bowie, David Debrandon Brown, S. Carter, Nija Charles, Sabrina Claudio, Solomon Fagenson Cole, Brittany “@Chi_Coney” Coney, Alexander Guy Cook, Lavar Coppin, Almando Cresso, Mike Dean, Saliou Diagne, Darius Dixson, Jocelyn Donald, Jordan Douglas, Aubrey Drake Graham, Kelman Duran, Terius “The-Dream” Gesteelde-Diamant, Dave Giles II, Derrick Carrington Gray, Nick Green, Larry Griffin Jr, Ronald Banful, Dave Hamelin, Aviel Calev Hirschfield, Chauncey Hollis, Jr., Ariowa Irosogie, Leven Kali, Ricky Lawson, Tizita Makuria, Julian Martrel Mason, Daniel Memmi, Cherdericka Nichols, Ernest “No I.D.” Wilson, Temilade Openiyi, Patrick Paige II From The Internet, Jimi Stephen Payton, Christopher Lawrence Penny, Michael Pollack, Richard Isong, Honey Redmond, Derek Renfroe, Andrew Richardson, Morten Ristorp, Nile Rodgers, Oliver Rodigan, Freddie Ross, Raphael Saadiq, Matthew Samuels, Sean Seaton, Skrillex, Corece Smith, Luke Francis Matthew Solomon, Jabbar Stevens, Christopher A. Stewart, Jahaan Sweet, Rupert Thomas, Jr. & Jesse Wilson, songwriters; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer
Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe)
Mary J. Blige
DJ Khaled, Dave East, Fabolous, Fivio Foreign, Griselda, H.E.R., Jadakiss, Moneybagg Yo, Ne-Yo, Anderson .Paak, Remy Ma & Usher, featured artists; Alissia, Tarik Azzouz, Bengineer, Blacka Din Me, Rogét Chahayed, Cool & Dre, Ben Billions, DJ Cassidy, DJ Khaled, D’Mile, Wonda, Bongo Bytheway, H.E.R., Hostile Beats, Eric Hudson, London On Da Track, Leon Michels, Nova Wav, Anderson.Paak, Sl!Mwav, Streetrunner, Swizz Beatz & J White Did It, producers; Derek Ali, Ben Chang, Luis Bordeaux, Bryce Bordone, Lauren D’Elia, Chris Galland, Serban Ghenea, Akeel Henry, Jaycen Joshua, Pat Kelly, Jhair Lazo, Shamele Mackie, Manny Marroquin, Dave Medrano, Ari Morris, Parks, Juan Peña, Ben Sedano, Kev Spencer, Julio Ulloa & Jodie Grayson Williams, engineers/mixers; Alissia Beneviste, Denisia “Blu June” Andrews, Archer, Bianca Atterberry, Tarik Azzouz, Mary J. Blige, David Brewster, David Brown, Shawn Butler, Rogét Chahayed, Ant Clemons, Brittany “Chi” Coney, Kasseem Dean, Benjamin Diehl, DJ Cassidy, Jocelyn Donald, Jerry Duplessis, Uforo Ebong, Dernst Emile II, John Jackson, Adriana Flores, Gabriella Wilson, Shawn Hibbler, Charles A. Hinshaw, Jamie Hurton, Eric Hudson, Jason Phillips, Khaled Khaled, London Holmes, Andre “Dre” Christopher Lyon, Reminisce Mackie, Leon Michels, Jerome Monroe, Jr., Kim Owens, Brandon Anderson, Jeremie “Benny The Butcher” Pennick, Bryan Ponce, Demond “Conway The Machine” Price, Peter Skellern, Shaffer Smith, Nicholas Warwar, Deforrest Taylor, Tiara Thomas, Marcello “Cool” Valenzano, Alvin “Westside Gunn” Worthy, Anthony Jermaine White & Leon Youngblood, songwriters
In These Silent Days
Brandi Carlile
Lucius, featured artist; Dave Cobb & Shooter Jennings, producers; Brandon Bell, Dave Cobb, Tom Elmhirst, Michael Harris & Shooter Jennings, engineers/mixers; Brandi Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters; Pete Lyman, mastering engineer
Music Of The Spheres
Coldplay
BTS, Jacob Collier, Selena Gomez & We Are KING, featured artists; Jacob Collier, Daniel Green, Oscar Holter, Jon Hopkins, Max Martin, Metro Boomin, Kang Hyo-Won, Bill Rahko, Bart Schoudel, Rik Simpson, Paris Strother & We Are KING, producers; Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion, Jacob Collier, The Dream Team, Duncan Fuller, Serban Ghenea, Daniel Green, John Hanes, Jon Hopkins, Michael Ilbert, Max Martin, Bill Rahko, Bart Schoudel, Rik Simpson & Paris Strother, engineers/mixers; Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Denise Carite, Will Champion, Jacob Collier, Derek Dixie, Sam Falson, Stephen Fry, Daniel Green, Oscar Holter, Jon Hopkins, Jung Ho-Seok, Chris Martin, Max Martin, John Metcalfe, Leland Tyler Wayne, Bill Rahko, Kim Nam-Joon, Jesse Rogg, Davide Rossi, Rik Simpson, Amber Strother, Paris Strother, Min Yoon-Gi, Federico Vindver & Olivia Waithe, songwriters; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers
Kendrick Lamar
Baby Keem, Blxst, Sam Dew, Ghostface Killah, Beth Gibbons, Kodak Black, Tanna Leone, Taylour Paige, Amanda Reifer, Sampha & Summer Walker, featured artists; The Alchemist, Baby Keem, Craig Balmoris, Beach Noise, Bekon, Boi-1da, Cardo, Dahi, DJ Khalil, The Donuts, FNZ, Frano, Sergiu Gherman, Emile Haynie, J.LBS, Mario Luciano, Tyler Mehlenbacher, OKLAMA, Rascal, Sounwave, Jahaan Sweet, Tae Beast, Duval Timothy & Pharrell Williams, producers; Derek Ali, Matt Anthony, Beach Noise, Rob Bisel, David Bishop, Troy Bourgeois, Andrew Boyd, Ray Charles Brown Jr., Derek Garcia, Chad Gordon, James Hunt, Johnny Kosich, Manny Marroquin, Erwing Olivares, Raymond J Scavo III, Matt Schaeffer, Cyrus Taghipour, Johnathan Turner & Joe Visciano, engineers/mixers; Khalil Abdul-Rahman, Hykeem Carter, Craig Balmoris, Beach Noise, Daniel Tannenbaum, Daniel Tannenbaum, Stephen Lee Bruner, Matthew Burdette, Isaac John De Boni, Sam Dew, Anthony Dixon, Victor Ekpo, Sergiu Gherman, Dennis Coles, Beth Gibbons, Frano Huett, Stuart Johnson, Bill K. Kapri, Jake Kosich, Johnny Kosich, Daniel Krieger, Kendrick Lamar, Ronald LaTour, Mario Luciano, Daniel Alan Maman, Timothy Maxey, Tyler Mehlenbacher, Michael John Mulé, D. Natche, OKLAMA, Jason Pounds, Rascal, Amanda Reifer, Matthew Samuels, Avante Santana, Matt Schaeffer, Sampha Sisay, Mark Spears, Homer Steinweiss, Jahaan Akil Sweet, Donte Lamar Perkins, Duval Timothy, Summer Walker & Pharrell Williams, songwriters; Michelle Mancini, mastering engineer
Special
Lizzo
Benny Blanco, Quelle Chris, Daoud, Omer Fedi, ILYA, Kid Harpoon, Ian Kirkpatrick, Max Martin, Nate Mercereau, The Monsters & Strangerz, Phoelix, Ricky Reed, Mark Ronson, Blake Slatkin & Pop Wansel, producers; Benny Blanco, Bryce Bordone, Jeff Chestek, Jacob Ferguson, Serban Ghenea, Jeremy Hatcher, Andrew Hey, Sam Holland, ILYA, Stefan Johnson, Jens Jungkurth, Patrick Kehrier, Ian Kirkpatrick, Damien Lewis, Bill Malina, Manny Marroquin & Ricky Reed, engineers/mixers; Amy Allen, Daoud Anthony, Jonathan Bellion, Benjamin Levin, Thomas Brenneck, Christian Devivo, Omer Fedi, Eric Frederic, Ilya Salmanzadeh, Melissa Jefferson, Jordan K Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Kid Harpoon, Ian Kirkpatrick, Savan Kotecha, Max Martin, Nate Mercereau, Leon Michels, Nick Movshon, Michael Neil, Michael Pollack, Mark Ronson, Blake Slatkin, Peter Svensson, Gavin Chris Tennille, Theron Makiel Thomas, Andrew Wansel & Emily Warren, songwriters; Michelle Mancini, mastering engineer
Harry’s House*
Harry Styles
Tyler Johnson, Kid Harpoon & Sammy Witte, producers; Jeremy Hatcher, Oli Jacobs, Nick Lobel, Spike Stent & Sammy Witte, engineers/mixers; Amy Allen, Tobias Jesso, Jr., Tyler Johnson, Kid Harpoon, Mitch Rowland, Harry Styles & Sammy Witte, songwriters; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer

3. Song Of The Year

A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

abcdefu
Sara Davis, GAYLE & Dave Pittenger, songwriters (GAYLE)
About Damn Time
Melissa “Lizzo” Jefferson, Eric Frederic, Blake Slatkin & Theron Makiel Thomas, songwriters (Lizzo)
All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (The Short Film)
Liz Rose & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)
As It Was
Tyler Johnson, Kid Harpoon & Harry Styles, songwriters (Harry Styles)
Bad Habit
Matthew Castellanos, Brittany Fousheé, Diana Gordon, John Carroll Kirby & Steve Lacy, songwriters (Steve Lacy)
BREAK MY SOUL
Beyoncé, S. Carter, Terius “The-Dream” Gesteelde-Diamant & Christopher A. Stewart, songwriters (Beyoncé)
Easy On Me
Adele Adkins & Greg Kurstin, songwriters (Adele)
GOD DID
Tarik Azzouz, E. Blackmon, Khaled Khaled, F. LeBlanc, Shawn Carter, John Stephens, Dwayne Carter, William Roberts & Nicholas Warwar, songwriters (DJ Khaled Featuring Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend & Fridayy)
The Heart Part 5
Jake Kosich, Johnny Kosich, Kendrick Lamar & Matt Schaeffer, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar)
Just Like That*
Bonnie Raitt, songwriter (Bonnie Raitt)

4. Best New Artist

This category recognizes an artist whose eligibility-year release(s) achieved a breakthrough into the public consciousness and notably impacted the musical landscape.

Anitta
Omar Apollo
DOMi & JD Beck
Muni Long
Samara Joy*
Latto
Måneskin
Tobe Nwigwe
Molly Tuttle
Wet Leg

Pop

5. Best Pop Solo Performance

For new vocal or instrumental pop recordings. Singles or Tracks only.

Easy On Me*
Adele
Moscow Mule
Bad Bunny
Woman
Doja Cat
Bad Habit
Steve Lacy
About Damn Time
Lizzo
As It Was
Harry Styles

6. Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

For new vocal or instrumental duo/group or collaborative pop recordings. Singles or Tracks only.

Don’t Shut Me Down
ABBA
Bam Bam
Camila Cabello Featuring Ed Sheeran
My Universe
Coldplay & BTS
I Like You (A Happier Song)
Post Malone & Doja Cat
Unholy*
Sam Smith & Kim Petras

7. Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new traditional pop recordings.

Higher*
Michael Bublé
When Christmas Comes Around…
Kelly Clarkson
I Dream Of Christmas (Extended)
Norah Jones
Evergreen
Pentatonix
Thank You
Diana Ross

8. Best Pop Vocal Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new pop vocal recordings.

Voyage
ABBA
30
Adele
Music Of The Spheres
Coldplay
Special
Lizzo
Harry’s House*
Harry Styles

Dance/Electronic Music

9. Best Dance/Electronic Recording

For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances. Vocal or Instrumental. Singles or tracks only.

BREAK MY SOUL*
Beyoncé
Beyoncé, Terius “The-Dream” Gesteelde-Diamant, Jens Christian Isaksen & Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, producers; Stuart White, mixer
Rosewood
Bonobo
Simon Green, producer; Simon Green, mixer
Don’t Forget My Love
Diplo & Miguel
Diplo & Maximilian Jaeger, producers; Luca Pretolesi, mixer
I’m Good (Blue)
David Guetta & Bebe Rexha
David Guetta & Timofey Reznikov, producers; David Guetta & Timofey Reznikov, mixers
Intimidated
KAYTRANADA Featuring H.E.R.
H.E.R. & KAYTRANADA, producers; KAYTRANADA, mixer
On My Knees
RÜFÜS DU SOL
Jason Evigan & RÜFÜS DU SOL, producers; Cassian Stewart-Kasimba, mixer

10. Best Dance/Electronic Music Album

For vocal or instrumental albums. Albums only.

Renaissance*
Beyoncé
Fragments
Bonobo
Diplo
Diplo
The Last Goodbye
ODESZA
Surrender
RÜFÜS DU SOL

Contemporary Instrumental Music

11. Best Contemporary Instrumental Album

For albums containing greater than 50% or more playing time of instrumental material. For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new recordings.

Between Dreaming And Joy
Jeff Coffin
Not Tight
DOMi & JD Beck
Blooz
Grant Geissman
Jacob’s Ladder
Brad Mehldau
Empire Central*
Snarky Puppy

Rock

12. Best Rock Performance

For new vocal or instrumental solo, duo/group or collaborative rock recordings.

So Happy It Hurts
Bryan Adams
Old Man
Beck
Wild Child
The Black Keys
Broken Horses*
Brandi Carlile
Crawl!
Idles
Patient Number 9
Ozzy Osbourne Featuring Jeff Beck
Holiday
Turnstile

13. Best Metal Performance

For new vocal or instrumental solo, duo/group or collaborative metal recordings.

Call Me Little Sunshine
Ghost
We’ll Be Back
Megadeth
Kill Or Be Killed
Muse
Degradation Rules*
Ozzy Osbourne Featuring Tony Iommi
Blackout
Turnstile

14. Best Rock Song

A Songwriter(s) Award. Includes Rock, Hard Rock and Metal songs. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

Black Summer
Flea, John Frusciante, Anthony Kiedis & Chad Smith, songwriters (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
Blackout
Brady Ebert, Daniel Fang, Franz Lyons, Pat McCrory & Brendan Yates, songwriters (Turnstile)
Broken Horses*
Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters (Brandi Carlile)
Harmonia’s Dream
Robbie Bennett & Adam Granduciel, songwriters (The War On Drugs)
Patient Number 9
John Osbourne, Chad Smith, Ali Tamposi, Robert Trujillo & Andrew Wotman, songwriters (Ozzy Osbourne Featuring Jeff Beck)

15. Best Rock Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new rock, hard rock or metal recordings.

Dropout Boogie
The Black Keys
The Boy Named If
Elvis Costello & The Imposters
Crawler
Idles
Mainstream Sellout
Machine Gun Kelly
Patient Number 9*
Ozzy Osbourne
Lucifer On The Sofa
Spoon

Alternative

16. Best Alternative Music Performance

For new vocal or instrumental solo, duo/group or collaborative Alternative music recordings.

There’d Better Be A Mirrorball
Arctic Monkeys
Certainty
Big Thief
King
Florence + The Machine
Chaise Longue*
Wet Leg
Spitting Off The Edge Of The World
Yeah Yeah Yeahs Featuring Perfume Genius

17. Best Alternative Music Album

Vocal or Instrumental.

WE
Arcade Fire
Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
Big Thief
Fossora
Björk
Wet Leg*
Wet Leg
Cool It Down
Yeah Yeah Yeahs

R&B

18. Best R&B Performance

For new vocal or instrumental R&B recordings.

VIRGO’S GROOVE
Beyoncé
Here With Me
Mary J. Blige Featuring Anderson .Paak
Hrs & Hrs*
Muni Long
Over
Lucky Daye
Hurt Me So Good
Jazmine Sullivan

19. Best Traditional R&B Performance

For new vocal or instrumental traditional R&B recordings.

Do 4 Love
Snoh Aalegra
Keeps On Fallin’
Babyface Featuring Ella Mai
PLASTIC OFF THE SOFA*
Beyoncé
‘Round Midnight
Adam Blackstone Featuring Jazmine Sullivan
Good Morning Gorgeous
Mary J. Blige

20. Best R&B Song

A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

CUFF IT*
Denisia “Blu June” Andrews, Beyoncé, Mary Christine Brockert, Brittany “Chi” Coney, Terius “The-Dream” Gesteelde-Diamant, Morten Ristorp, Nile Rodgers & Raphael Saadiq, songwriters (Beyoncé)
Good Morning Gorgeous
Mary J. Blige, David Brown, Dernst Emile II, Gabriella Wilson & Tiara Thomas, songwriters (Mary J. Blige)
Hrs & Hrs
Hamadi Aaabi, Dylan Graham, Priscilla Renea, Thaddis “Kuk” Harrell, Brandon John-Baptiste, Isaac Wriston & Justin Nathaniel Zim, songwriters (Muni Long)
Hurt Me So Good
Akeel Henry, Michael Holmes, Luca Mauti, Jazmine Sullivan & Elliott Trent, songwriters (Jazmine Sullivan)
Please Don’t Walk Away
PJ Morton, songwriter (PJ Morton)

21. Best Progressive R&B Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of newly recorded progressive vocal tracks derivative of R&B.

Operation Funk
Cory Henry
Gemini Rights*
Steve Lacy
Drones
Terrace Martin
Starfruit
Moonchild
Red Balloon
Tank And The Bangas

22. Best R&B Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new R&B recordings.

Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe)
Mary J. Blige
Breezy (Deluxe)
Chris Brown
Black Radio III*
Robert Glasper
Candydrip
Lucky Daye
Watch The Sun
PJ Morton

Rap

23. Best Rap Performance

For a Rap performance. Singles or Tracks only.

GOD DID
DJ Khaled Featuring Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend & Fridayy
Vegas
Doja Cat
pushin P
Gunna & Future Featuring Young Thug
F.N.F. (Let’s Go)
Hitkidd & GloRilla
The Heart Part 5*
Kendrick Lamar

24. Best Melodic Rap Performance

For a solo or collaborative performance containing both elements of R&B melodies and Rap.

BEAUTIFUL
DJ Khaled Featuring Future & SZA
WAIT FOR U*
Future Featuring Drake & Tems
First Class
Jack Harlow
Die Hard
Kendrick Lamar Featuring Blxst & Amanda Reifer
Big Energy (Live)
Latto

25. Best Rap Song

A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

Churchill Downs
Ace G, BEDRM, Matthew Samuels, Tahrence Brown, Rogét Chahayed, Aubrey Graham, Jack Harlow & Jose Velazquez, songwriters (Jack Harlow Featuring Drake)
GOD DID
Tarik Azzouz, E. Blackmon, Khaled Khaled, F. LeBlanc, Shawn Carter, John Stephens, Dwayne Carter, William Roberts & Nicholas Warwar, songwriters (DJ Khaled Featuring Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend & Fridayy)
The Heart Part 5*
Jake Kosich, Johnny Kosich, Kendrick Lamar & Matt Schaeffer, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar)
pushin P
Lucas Depante, Nayvadius Wilburn, Sergio Kitchens, Wesley Tyler Glass & Jeffery Lamar Williams, songwriters (Gunna & Future Featuring Young Thug)
WAIT FOR U
Tejiri Akpoghene, Floyd E. Bentley III, Jacob Canady, Isaac De Boni, Aubrey Graham, Israel Ayomide Fowobaje, Nayvadius Wilburn, Michael Mule, Oluwatoroti Oke & Temilade Openiyi, songwriters (Future Featuring Drake & Tems)

26. Best Rap Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new rap recordings.

GOD DID
DJ Khaled
I Never Liked You
Future
Come Home The Kids Miss You
Jack Harlow
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers*
Kendrick Lamar
It’s Almost Dry
Pusha T

Country

27. Best Country Solo Performance

For new vocal or instrumental solo country recordings.

Heartfirst
Kelsea Ballerini
Something In The Orange
Zach Bryan
In His Arms
Miranda Lambert
Circles Around This Town
Maren Morris
Live Forever*
Willie Nelson

28. Best Country Duo/Group Performance

For new vocal or instrumental duo/group or collaborative country recordings.

Wishful Drinking
Ingrid Andress & Sam Hunt
Midnight Rider’s Prayer
Brothers Osborne
Outrunnin’ Your Memory
Luke Combs & Miranda Lambert
Does He Love You – Revisited
Reba McEntire & Dolly Parton
Never Wanted To Be That Girl*
Carly Pearce & Ashley McBryde
Going Where The Lonely Go
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

29. Best Country Song

A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

Circles Around This Town
Ryan Hurd, Julia Michaels, Maren Morris & Jimmy Robbins, songwriters (Maren Morris)
Doin’ This
Luke Combs, Drew Parker & Robert Williford, songwriters (Luke Combs)
I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)
Lori McKenna & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)
If I Was A Cowboy
Jesse Frasure & Miranda Lambert, songwriters (Miranda Lambert)
I’ll Love You Till The Day I Die
Rodney Crowell & Chris Stapleton, songwriters (Willie Nelson)
‘Til You Can’t*
Matt Rogers & Ben Stennis, songwriters (Cody Johnson)

30. Best Country Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new country recordings.

Growin’ Up
Luke Combs
Palomino
Miranda Lambert
Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville
Ashley McBryde
Humble Quest
Maren Morris
A Beautiful Time*
Willie Nelson

New Age, Ambient, or Chant

31. Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new vocal or instrumental new age recordings.

Positano Songs
Will Ackerman
Joy
Paul Avgerinos
Mantra Americana
Madi Das & Dave Stringer With Bhakti Without Borders
The Passenger
Cheryl B. Engelhardt
Mystic Mirror*
White Sun

Jazz

32. Best Improvised Jazz Solo

For an instrumental jazz solo performance. Two equal performers on one recording may be eligible as one entry. If the soloist listed appears on a recording billed to another artist, the latter’s name is in parenthesis for identification. Singles or Tracks only.)

Rounds (Live)
Ambrose Akinmusire, soloist
Keep Holding On
Gerald Albright, soloist
Falling
Melissa Aldana, soloist
Call Of The Drum
Marcus Baylor, soloist
Cherokee/Koko
John Beasley, soloist
Endangered Species*
Wayne Shorter & Leo Genovese, soloist

33. Best Jazz Vocal Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new vocal jazz recordings.

The Evening : Live At APPARATUS
The Baylor Project
Linger Awhile*
Samara Joy
Fade To Black
Carmen Lundy
Fifty
The Manhattan Transfer With The WDR Funkhausorchester
Ghost Song
Cécile McLorin Salvant

34. Best Jazz Instrumental Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new instrumental jazz recordings.

New Standards Vol. 1*
Terri Lyne Carrington, Kris Davis, Linda May Han Oh, Nicholas Payton & Matthew Stevens
Live In Italy
Peter Erskine Trio
LongGone
Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, And Brian Blade
Live At The Detroit Jazz Festival*
Wayne Shorter, Terri Lyne Carrington, Leo Genovese & esperanza spalding
Parallel Motion
Yellowjackets

35. Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new ensemble jazz recordings.

Bird Lives
John Beasley, Magnus Lindgren & SWR Big Band
Remembering Bob Freedman
Ron Carter & The Jazzaar Festival Big Band Directed By Christian Jacob
Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra*
Steven Feifke, Bijon Watson, Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra
Center Stage
Steve Gadd, Eddie Gomez, Ronnie Cuber & WDR Big Band Conducted By Michael Abene
Architecture Of Storms
Remy Le Boeuf’s Assembly Of Shadows

36. Best Latin Jazz Album

For vocal or instrumental albums containing greater than 50% playing time of newly recorded material. The intent of this category is to recognize recordings that represent the blending of jazz with Latin, Iberian-American, Brazilian, and Argentinian tango music.

Fandango At The Wall In New York*
Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra Featuring The Congra Patria Son Jarocho Collective
Crisálida
Danilo Pérez Featuring The Global Messengers
If You Will
Flora Purim
Rhythm & Soul
Arturo Sandoval
Música De Las Américas
Miguel Zenón

Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music

37. Best Gospel Performance/Song

This award is given to the artist(s) and songwriter(s) (for new compositions) for the best traditional Christian, roots gospel or contemporary gospel single or track.

Positive
Erica Campbell; Erica Campbell, Warryn Campbell & Juan Winans, songwriters
When I Pray
DOE; Dominique Jones & Dewitt Jones, songwriters
Kingdom*
Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin; Kirk Franklin, Jonathan Jay, Chandler Moore & Jacob Poole, songwriters
The Better Benediction
PJ Morton Featuring Zacardi Cortez, Gene Moore, Samoht, Tim Rogers & Darrel Walls; PJ Morton, songwriter
Get Up
Tye Tribbett; Brandon Jones, Christopher Michael Stevens, Thaddaeus Tribbett & Tye Tribbett, songwriters

38. Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song

This award is given to the artist(s) and songwriter(s) (for new compositions) for the best contemporary Christian music single or track, (including pop, rap/hip-hop, Latin, or rock.)

God Really Loves Us (Radio Version)
Crowder Featuring Dante Bowe and Maverick City Music; Dante Bowe, David Crowder, Ben Glover & Jeff Sojka, songwriters
So Good
DOE; Chuck Butler, Dominique Jones & Ethan Hulse, songwriters
For God Is With Us
for KING & COUNTRY & Hillary Scott; Josh Kerr, Jordan Reynolds, Joel Smallbone & Luke Smallbone, songwriters
Fear Is Not My Future*
Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin; Kirk Franklin, Nicole Hannel, Jonathan Jay, Brandon Lake & Hannah Shackelford, songwriters
Holy Forever
Chris Tomlin; Jason Ingram, Brian Johnson, Jenn Johnson, Chris Tomlin & Phil Wickham, songwriters
Hymn Of Heaven (Radio Version)
Phil Wickham; Chris Davenport, Bill Johnson, Brian Johnson & Phil Wickham, songwriters

39. Best Gospel Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of newly recorded, vocal, traditional or contemporary/R&B gospel music recordings.

Die To Live
Maranda Curtis
Breakthrough: The Exodus (Live)
Ricky Dillard
Clarity
DOE
One Deluxe*
Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin
All Things New
Tye Tribbett

40. Best Contemporary Christian Music Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of newly recorded, vocal, contemporary Christian music, including pop, rap/hip hop, Latin, or rock recordings.

Lion
Elevation Worship
Breathe*
Maverick City Music
Life After Death
TobyMac
Always
Chris Tomlin
My Jesus
Anne Wilson

41. Best Roots Gospel Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of newly recorded, vocal, traditional/roots gospel music, including country, Southern gospel, bluegrass, and Americana recordings.

Let’s Just Praise The Lord
Gaither Vocal Band
Confessio – Irish American Roots
Keith & Kristyn Getty
The Willie Nelson Family
Willie Nelson
2:22
Karen Peck & New River
The Urban Hymnal*
Tennessee State University Marching Band

Latin

42. Best Latin Pop Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new Latin pop recordings.

AGUILERA
Christina Aguilera
Pasieros*
Rubén Blades & Boca Livre
De Adentro Pa Afuera
Camilo
VIAJANTE
Fonseca
Dharma +
Sebastián Yatra

43. Best Música Urbana Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new Música Urbana recordings.

TRAP CAKE, VOL. 2
Rauw Alejandro
Un Verano Sin Ti*
Bad Bunny
LEGENDADDY
Daddy Yankee
La 167
Farruko
The Love & Sex Tape
Maluma

44. Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new Latin rock or alternative recordings.

El Alimento
Cimafunk
Tinta y Tiempo
Jorge Drexler
1940 Carmen
Mon Laferte
Alegoría
Gaby Moreno
Los Años Salvajes
Fito Paez
MOTOMAMI*
Rosalía

45. Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano)

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new regional Mexican (banda, norteño, corridos, gruperos, mariachi, ranchera and Tejano) recordings.

Abeja Reina
Chiquis
Un Canto por México – El Musical*
Natalia Lafourcade
La Reunión (Deluxe)
Los Tigres Del Norte
EP #1 Forajido
Christian Nodal
Qué Ganas de Verte (Deluxe)
Marco Antonio Solís

46. Best Tropical Latin Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new tropical Latin recordings.

Pa’lla Voy*
Marc Anthony
Quiero Verte Feliz
La Santa Cecilia
Lado A Lado B
Víctor Manuelle
Legendario
Tito Nieves
Imágenes Latinas
Spanish Harlem Orchestra
Cumbiana II
Carlos Vives

American Roots Music

47. Best American Roots Performance

For new vocal or instrumental American Roots recordings. This is for performances in the style of any of the subgenres encompassed in the American Roots Music field including bluegrass, blues, folk or regional roots. Award to the artist(s).

Someday It’ll All Make Sense (Bluegrass Version)
Bill Anderson Featuring Dolly Parton
Life According To Raechel
Madison Cunningham
Oh Betty
Fantastic Negrito
Stompin’ Ground*
Aaron Neville With The Dirty Dozen Brass Band
Prodigal Daughter
Aoife O’Donovan & Allison Russell

48. Best Americana Performance

For new vocal or instrumental Americana performance. Award to the artist(s).

Silver Moon [A Tribute To Michael Nesmith]
Eric Alexandrakis
There You Go Again
Asleep At The Wheel Featuring Lyle Lovett
The Message
Blind Boys Of Alabama Featuring Black Violin
You And Me On The Rock
Brandi Carlile Featuring Lucius
Made Up Mind*
Bonnie Raitt

49. Best American Roots Song

A Songwriter(s) Award. Includes Americana, bluegrass, traditional blues, contemporary blues, folk or regional roots songs. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

Bright Star
Anaïs Mitchell, songwriter (Anaïs Mitchell)
Forever
Sheryl Crow & Jeff Trott, songwriters (Sheryl Crow)
High And Lonesome
T Bone Burnett & Robert Plant, songwriters (Robert Plant & Alison Krauss)
Just Like That*
Bonnie Raitt, songwriter (Bonnie Raitt)
Prodigal Daughter
Tim O’Brien & Aoife O’Donovan, songwriters (Aoife O’Donovan & Allison Russell)
You And Me On The Rock
Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters (Brandi Carlile Featuring Lucius)

50. Best Americana Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new vocal or instrumental Americana recordings.

In These Silent Days
Brandi Carlile
Things Happen That Way
Dr. John
Good To Be…
Keb’ Mo’
Raise The Roof
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
Just Like That…*
Bonnie Raitt

51. Best Bluegrass Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new vocal or instrumental bluegrass recordings.

Toward The Fray
The Infamous Stringdusters
Almost Proud
The Del McCoury Band
Calling You From My Mountain
Peter Rowan
Crooked Tree*
Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway
Get Yourself Outside
Yonder Mountain String Band

52. Best Traditional Blues Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new vocal or instrumental traditional blues recordings.

Heavy Load Blues
Gov’t Mule
The Blues Don’t Lie
Buddy Guy
Get On Board*
Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder
The Sun Is Shining Down
John Mayall
Mississippi Son
Charlie Musselwhite

53. Best Contemporary Blues Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new vocal or instrumental contemporary blues recordings.

Done Come Too Far
Shemekia Copeland
Crown
Eric Gales
Bloodline Maintenance
Ben Harper
Set Sail
North Mississippi Allstars
Brother Johnny*
Edgar Winter

54. Best Folk Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new vocal or instrumental folk recordings.

Spellbound
Judy Collins
Revealer*
Madison Cunningham
The Light At The End Of The Line
Janis Ian
Age Of Apathy
Aoife O’Donovan
Hell On Church Street
Punch Brothers

55. Best Regional Roots Music Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new vocal or instrumental regional roots music recordings.

Full Circle
Sean Ardoin And Kreole Rock And Soul Featuring LSU Golden Band From Tigerland
Natalie Noelani
Natalie Ai Kamauu
Halau Hula Keali’i O Nalani – Live At The Getty Center
Halau Hula Keali’i O Nalani
Lucky Man
Nathan & The Zydeco Cha Chas
Live At The 2022 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival*
Ranky Tanky

Reggae

56. Best Reggae Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new reggae recordings.

The Kalling*
Kabaka Pyramid
Gifted
Koffee
Scorcha
Sean Paul
Third Time’s The Charm
Protoje
Com Fly Wid Mi
Shaggy

Global Music

57. Best Global Music Performance

For new vocal or instrumental Global music recordings.

Udhero Na
Arooj Aftab & Anoushka Shankar
Gimme Love
Matt B & Eddy Kenzo
Last Last
Burna Boy
Neva Bow Down
Rocky Dawuni Featuring Blvk H3ro
Bayethe*
Wouter Kellerman, Zakes Bantwini & Nomcebo Zikode

58. Best Global Music Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new vocal or instrumental Global Music recordings.

Shuruaat
Berklee Indian Ensemble
Love, Damini
Burna Boy
Queen Of Sheba
Angélique Kidjo & Ibrahim Maalouf
Between Us… (Live)
Anoushka Shankar, Metropole Orkest & Jules Buckley Featuring Manu Delago
Sakura*
Masa Takumi

Children’s

59. Best Children’s Music Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new musical or spoken word recordings that are created and intended specifically for children.

Into The Little Blue House
Wendy And DB
Los Fabulosos
Lucky Diaz And The Family Jam Band
The Movement*
Alphabet Rockers
Ready Set Go!
Divinity Roxx
Space Cadet
Justin Roberts

Spoken Word

60. Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording

Act Like You Got Some Sense
Jamie Foxx
All About Me!: My Remarkable Life In Show Business By Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks
Aristotle And Dante Dive Into The Waters Of The World
Lin-Manuel Miranda
Finding Me*
Viola Davis
Music Is History
Questlove

61. Best Spoken Word Poetry Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new spoken word poetry recordings.

Black Men Are Precious
Ethelbert Miller
Call Us What We Carry: Poems
Amanda Gorman
Hiding In Plain View
Malcolm-Jamal Warner
The Poet Who Sat By The Door*
J. Ivy
You Will Be Someone’s Ancestor. Act Accordingly.
Amir Sulaiman

Comedy

62. Best Comedy Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new recordings.

The Closer*
Dave Chappelle
Comedy Monster
Jim Gaffigan
A Little Brains, A Little Talent
Randy Rainbow
Sorry
Louis CK
We All Scream
Patton Oswalt

Musical Theater

63. Best Musical Theater Album

For albums containing greater 51% playing time of new recordings. Award to the principal vocalist(s), and the album producer(s) of 50% or more playing time of the album. The lyricist(s) and composer(s) of 50 % or more of a score of a new recording are eligible for an Award if any previous recording of said score has not been nominated in this category.

Caroline, Or Change
John Cariani, Sharon D Clarke, Caissie Levy & Samantha Williams, principal vocalists; Van Dean, Nigel Lilley, Lawrence Manchester, Elliot Scheiner & Jeanine Tesori, producers; Jeanine Tesori, composer; Tony Kushner, lyricist (New Broadway Cast)
Into The Woods (2022 Broadway Cast Recording)*
Sara Bareilles, Brian d’Arcy James, Patina Miller & Phillipa Soo, principal vocalists; Rob Berman & Sean Patrick Flahaven, producers (Stephen Sondheim, composer & lyricist) (2022 Broadway Cast)
MJ The Musical
Myles Frost & Tavon Olds-Sample, principal vocalists; David Holcenberg, Derik Lee & Jason Michael Webb, producers (Original Broadway Cast)
Mr. Saturday Night
Shoshana Bean, Billy Crystal, Randy Graff & David Paymer, principal vocalists; Jason Robert Brown, Sean Patrick Flahaven & Jeffrey Lesser, producers; Jason Robert Brown, composer; Amanda Green, lyricist (Original Broadway Cast)
Six: Live On Opening Night
Joe Beighton, Tom Curran, Sam Featherstone, Paul Gatehouse, Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss, producers; Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss, composers/lyricists (Original Broadway Cast)
A Strange Loop
Jaquel Spivey, principal vocalist; Michael Croiter, Michael R. Jackson, Charlie Rosen & Rona Siddiqui, producers; Michael R. Jackson, composer & lyricist (Original Broadway Cast)

Music for Visual Media

64. Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media

Award to the principal artist(s) and/or ‘in studio’ producer(s) of a majority of the tracks on the album. In the absence of both, award to the one or two individuals proactively responsible for the concept and musical direction of the album and for the selection of artists, songs and producers, as applicable. Award also goes to appropriately credited music supervisor(s).

ELVIS
(Various Artists)
Encanto*
(Various Artists)
Stranger Things: Soundtrack from the Netflix Series, Season 4 (Vol 2)
(Various Artists)
Top Gun: Maverick
Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga, Hans Zimmer & Lorne Balfe
West Side Story
(Various Artists)

65. Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media (Includes Film And Television)

Award to Composer(s) for an original score created specifically for, or as a companion to, a current legitimate motion picture, television show or series, or other visual media.

The Batman
Michael Giacchino, composer
Encanto*
Germaine Franco, composer
No Time To Die
Hans Zimmer, composer
The Power Of The Dog
Jonny Greenwood, composer
Succession: Season 3
Nicholas Britell, composer

66. Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media

Award to Composer(s) for an original score created specifically for, or as a companion to, video games and other interactive media.

Aliens: Fireteam Elite
Austin Wintory, composer
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn Of Ragnarok*
Stephanie Economou, composer
Call Of Duty®: Vanguard
Bear McCreary, composer
Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy
Richard Jacques, composer
Old World
Christopher Tin, composer

67. Best Song Written For Visual Media

A Songwriter(s) award. For a song (melody & lyrics) written specifically for a motion picture, television, video games or other visual media, and released for the first time during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

Be Alive [From King Richard]
Beyoncé & Darius Scott Dixson, songwriters (Beyoncé)
Carolina [From Where The Crawdads Sing]
Taylor Swift, songwriter (Taylor Swift)
Hold My Hand [From Top Gun: Maverick]
Bloodpop® & Stefani Germanotta, songwriters (Lady Gaga)
Keep Rising (The Woman King) [From The Woman King]
Angelique Kidjo, Jeremy Lutito & Jessy Wilson, songwriters (Jessy Wilson Featuring Angelique Kidjo)
Nobody Like U [From Turning Red]
Billie Eilish & Finneas O’Connell, songwriters (4*Town, Jordan Fisher, Finneas O’Connell, Josh Levi, Topher Ngo, Grayson Villanueva)
We Don’t Talk About Bruno [From Encanto]*
Lin-Manuel Miranda, songwriter (Carolina Gaitán – La Gaita, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Guerrero, Stephanie Beatriz & Encanto – Cast)

Composing/Arranging

68. Best Instrumental Composition

A Composer’s Award for an original composition (not an adaptation) first released during the Eligibility Year. Singles or Tracks only.

African Tales
Paquito D’Rivera, composer (Tasha Warren & Dave Eggar)
El País Invisible
Miguel Zenón, composer (Miguel Zenón, José Antonio Zayas Cabán, Ryan Smith & Casey Rafn)
Fronteras (Borders) Suite: Al-Musafir Blues
Danilo Pérez, composer (Danilo Pérez Featuring The Global Messengers)
Refuge*
Geoffrey Keezer, composer (Geoffrey Keezer)
Snapshots
Pascal Le Boeuf, composer (Tasha Warren & Dave Eggar)

69. Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella

An Arranger’s Award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

As Days Go By (An Arrangement Of The Family Matters Theme Song)
Armand Hutton, arranger (Armand Hutton Featuring Terrell Hunt & Just 6)
How Deep Is Your Love
Matt Cusson, arranger (Kings Return)
Main Titles (Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness)
Danny Elfman, arranger (Danny Elfman)
Minnesota, WI
Remy Le Boeuf, arranger (Remy Le Boeuf)
Scrapple From The Apple*
John Beasley, arranger (Magnus Lindgren, John Beasley & The SWR Big Band Featuring Martin Aeur)

70. Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals

An Arranger’s Award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

Let It Happen
Louis Cole, arranger (Louis Cole)
Never Gonna Be Alone
Jacob Collier, arranger (Jacob Collier Featuring Lizzy McAlpine & John Mayer)
Optimistic Voices / No Love Dying
Cécile McLorin Salvant, arranger (Cécile McLorin Salvant)
Songbird (Orchestral Version)*
Vince Mendoza, arranger (Christine McVie)
2 + 2 = 5 (Arr. Nathan Schram)
Nathan Schram & Becca Stevens, arrangers (Becca Stevens & Attacca Quartet)

Package, Notes, and Historical

71. Best Recording Package

Beginningless Beginning*
Chun-Tien Hsia & Qing-Yang Xiao, art directors (Tamsui-Kavalan Chinese Orchestra)
Divers
William Stichter, art director (Soporus)
Everything Was Beautiful
Mark Farrow, art director (Spiritualized)
Telos
Ming Liu, art director (Fann)
Voyeurist
Tnsn Dvsn, art director (Underoath)

72. Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package

Artists Inspired By Music: Interscope Reimagined
Josh Abraham, Steve Berman, Jimmy Iovine, John Janick & Jason Sangerman, art directors (Various Artists)
Big Mess
Berit Gwendolyn Gilma, art director (Danny Elfman)
Black Pumas (Collector’s Edition Box Set)
Jenna Krackenberger, Anna McCaleb & Preacher, art directors (Black Pumas)
Book
Paul Sahre, art director (They Might Be Giants)
In And Out Of The Garden: Madison Square Garden ’81 ’82 ’83*
Lisa Glines, Doran Tyson & Dave Van Patten, art directors (The Grateful Dead)

73. Best Album Notes

The American Clavé Recordings
Fernando González, album notes writer (Astor Piazzolla)
Andy Irvine & Paul Brady
Gareth Murphy, album notes writer (Andy Irvine & Paul Brady)
Harry Partch, 1942
John Schneider, album notes writer (Harry Partch)
Life’s Work: A Retrospective
Ted Olson, album notes writer (Doc Watson)
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition)*
Bob Mehr, album notes writer (Wilco)

74. Best Historical Album

Against The Odds: 1974-1982
Tommy Manzi, Steve Rosenthal & Ken Shipley, compilation producers; Michael Graves, mastering engineer; Tom Camuso, restoration engineer (Blondie)
The Goldberg Variations – The Complete Unreleased 1981 Studio Sessions
Robert Russ, compilation producer; Martin Kistner, mastering engineer (Glenn Gould)
Life’s Work: A Retrospective
Scott Billington, Ted Olson & Mason Williams, compilation producers; Paul Blakemore, mastering engineer (Doc Watson)
To Whom It May Concern…
Jonathan Sklute, compilation producer; Kevin Marques Moo, mastering engineer (Freestyle Fellowship)
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition)
Cheryl Pawelski & Jeff Tweedy, compilation producers; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer (Wilco)

Songwriting

75. Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical

A Songwriter’s Award. (Artists names appear in parentheses.)

Amy Allen
- For My Friends (King Princess) (S)
- The Hardest Part (Alexander23) (S)
- If We Were A Party (Alexander23) (S)
- If You Love Me (Lizzo) (T)
- Magic Wand (Alexander23) (T)
- Matilda (Harry Styles) (T)
- Move Me (Charli XCX) (T)
- Too Bad (King Princess) (S)
- Vicious (Sabrina Carpenter) (S)
Nija Charles
- Cozy (Beyoncé) (T)
- Ex For A Reason (Summer Walker With JT From City Girls) (T)
- Good Love (City Girls Featuring Usher) (S)
- Iykyk (Lil Durk Featuring Ella Mai & A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie) (T)
- Lobby (Anitta & Missy Elliott) (S)
- Ride For You (Meek Mill Featuring Kehlani) (T)
- Sweetest Pie (Megan Thee Stallion & Dua Lipa) (S)
- Tangerine (Kehlani) (T)
- Throw It Away (Summer Walker) (T)
Tobias Jesso Jr.*
- Boyfriends (Harry Styles) (T)
- C’mon Baby Cry (Orville Peck) (T)
- Can I Get It (Adele) (T)
- Careless (FKA Twigs Featuring Daniel Caesar) (T)
- Dotted Lines (King Princess) (T)
- Let You Go (Diplo & TSHA) (S)
- No Good Reason (Omar Apollo) (T)
- Thank You Song (FKA Twigs) (T)
- To Be Loved (Adele) (T)
The-Dream
- Break My Soul (Beyoncé) (S)
- Church Girl (Beyoncé) (T)
- Energy (Beyoncé) (T)
- I’m That Girl (Beyoncé) (T)
- Mercedes (Brent Faiyaz) (S)
- Rock N Roll (Pusha T Featuring Kanye West and Kid Cudi) (T)
- Rolling Stone (Brent Faiyaz) (T)
- Summer Renaissance (Beyoncé) (T)
- Thique (Beyoncé) (T)
Laura Veltz
- Background Music (Maren Morris) (T)
- Feed (Demi Lovato) (T)
- Humble Quest (Maren Morris) (T)
- Pain (Ingrid Andress) (T)
- 29 (Demi Lovato) (T)

Production

76. Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical

An Engineer’s Award. (Artists names appear in parentheses.)

Adolescence
George Nicholas & Ryan Schwabe, engineers; Ryan Schwabe, mastering engineer (Baynk)
Black Radio III
Daniel Farris, Tiffany Gouché, Keith Lewis, Musiq Soulchild, Reginald Nicholas, Q-Tip, Amir Sulaiman, Michael Law Thomas & Jon Zacks, engineers; Chris Athens, mastering engineer (Robert Glasper)
Chloë and the Next 20th Century
Dave Cerminara & Jonathan Wilson, engineers; Adam Ayan, mastering engineer (Father John Misty)
Harry’s House*
Jeremy Hatcher, Oli Jacobs, Nick Lobel, Mark “Spike” Stent & Sammy Witte, engineers; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer (Harry Styles)
Wet Leg
Jon McMullen, Joshua Mobaraki, Alan Moulder & Alexis Smith, engineers; Matt Colton, mastering engineer (Wet Leg)

77. Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical

A Producer’s Award. (Artists names appear in parentheses.)

Jack Antonoff*
- All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault) (Taylor Swift) (T)
- Dance Fever (Florence + The Machine) (A)
- I Still Believe (Diana Ross) (T)
- Minions: The Rise Of Gru (Various Artists) (A)
- Part Of The Band (The 1975) (S)
Dan Auerbach
- Dropout Boogie (The Black Keys) (A)
- El Bueno Y El Malo (Hermanos Gutiérrez) (T)
- Nightmare Daydream (The Velveteers) (A)
- Rich White Honky Blues (Hank Williams Jr.) (A)
- Something Borrowed, Something New: A Tribute To John Anderson (Various Artists) (A)
- Strange Time To Be Alive (Early James) (A)
- Sweet Unknown (Ceramic Animal) (A)
- Tres Hermanos (Hermanos Gutiérrez) (T)
- Young Blood (Marcus King) (A)
Boi-1da
- Chronicles (Cordae Featuring H.E.R. & Lil Durk) (T)
- Churchill Downs (Jack Harlow Featuring Drake) (T)
- Heated (Beyoncé) (T)
- Mafia (Travis Scott) (S)
- N95 (Kendrick Lamar) (T)
- Nail Tech (Jack Harlow) (T)
- Not Another Love Song (Ella Mai) (T)
- Scarred (Giveon) (T)
- Silent Hill (Kendrick Lamar) (T)
Dahi
- Buttons (Steve Lacy) (T)
- Count Me Out (Kendrick Lamar) (T)
- Die Hard (Kendrick Lamar) (T)
- DJ Quik (Vince Staples) (T)
- Father Time (Kendrick Lamar Featuring Sampha) (T)
- Give You The World (Steve Lacy) (T)
- Mercury (Steve Lacy) (T)
- Mirror (Kendrick Lamar) (T)
- Rich Spirit (Kendrick Lamar) (T)
Dernst “D’mile” Emile II
- Candy Drip (Lucky Daye) (A)
- An Evening With Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak And Silk Sonic) (A)
- Good Morning Gorgeous (Mary J. Blige) (S)
- Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child (Jazmine Sullivan) (S)

78. Best Remixed Recording

A Remixer’s Award. (Artists names appear in parentheses for identification.) Singles or Tracks only.

About Damn Time (Purple Disco Machine Remix)*
Purple Disco Machine, remixer (Lizzo)
BREAK MY SOUL (Terry Hunter Remix)
Terry Hunter, remixer (Beyoncé)
Easy Lover (Four Tet Remix)
Four Tet, remixer (Ellie Goulding)
Slow Song (Paul Woolford Remix)
Paul Woolford, remixer (The Knocks & Dragonette)
Too Late Now (Soulwax Remix)
Soulwax, remixers (Wet Leg)

79. Best Immersive Audio Album

For vocal or instrumental albums in any genre. Must be commercially released on DVD-Audio, DVD-Video, SACD, Blu-Ray, or burned download-only/streaming-only copies and must provide a new immersive mix of four or more channels. Award to the immersive mix engineer, immersive producer (if any) and immersive mastering engineer (if any).

AGUILERA
Jaycen Joshua, immersive mix engineer; Jaycen Joshua, immersive mastering engineer (Christina Aguilera)
Divine Tides*
Eric Schilling, immersive mix engineer; Stewart Copeland, Ricky Kej & Herbert Waltl, immersive producers (Stewart Copeland & Ricky Kej)
Memories…Do Not Open
Mike Piacentini, immersive mix engineer; Mike Piacentini, immersive mastering engineer; Adam Alpert, Alex Pall, Jordan Stilwell & Andrew Taggart, immersive producers (The Chainsmokers)
Picturing The Invisible – Focus 1
Jim Anderson, immersive mix engineer; Morten Lindberg & Ulrike Schwarz, immersive mastering engineers; Jane Ira Bloom & Ulrike Schwarz, immersive producers (Jane Ira Bloom)
Tuvayhun — Beatitudes For A Wounded World
Morten Lindberg, immersive mix engineer; Morten Lindberg, immersive mastering engineer; Morten Lindberg, immersive producer (Nidarosdomens Jentekor & Trondheimsolistene)

80. Best Engineered Album, Classical

An Engineer’s Award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.)

Bates: Philharmonia Fantastique – The Making Of The Orchestra*
Shawn Murphy, Charlie Post & Gary Rydstrom, engineers; Michael Romanowski, mastering engineer (Edwin Outwater & Chicago Symphony Orchestra)
Beethoven: Symphony No. 6; Stucky: Silent Spring
Mark Donahue, engineer; Mark Donahue, mastering engineer (Manfred Honeck & Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra)
Perspectives
Jonathan Lackey, Bill Maylone & Dan Nichols, engineers; Joe Lambert, mastering engineer (Third Coast Percussion)
Tuvayhun – Beatitudes For A Wounded World
Morten Lindberg, engineer; Morten Lindberg, mastering engineer (Anita Brevik, Nidarosdomens Jentekor & Trondheimsolistene)
Williams: Violin Concerto No. 2 & Selected Film Themes
Bernhard Güttler, Shawn Murphy & Nick Squire, engineers; Christoph Stickel, mastering engineer (Anne-Sophie Mutter, John Williams & Boston Symphony Orchestra)

81. Producer Of The Year, Classical

A Producer’s Award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.)

Jonathan Allen
- Aspire (Seunghee Lee, JP Jofre, Enrico Fagone & London Symphony Orchestra) (A)
- Cooper: Continuum (Jessica Cottis, Adjoah Andoh, Clio Gould & The Oculus Ensemble) (A)
- Muse (Sheku Kanneh-Mason & Isata Kanneh-Mason) (A)
- Origins (Lucie Horsch) (A)
- Saudade (Plinio Fernandes) (A)
- Schubert: Winterreise (Benjamin Appl) (A)
- Secret Love Letters (Lisa Batiashvili, Yannik Nézet-Séguin & Philadelphia Orchestra) (A)
- Song (Sheku Kanneh-Mason) (A)
Christoph Franke
- Brahms & Berg: Violin Concertos (Christian Tetzlaff, Robin Ticciati & Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin) (A)
- John Williams – The Berlin Concert (John Williams & Berliner Philharmoniker) (A)
- Mendelssohn: Piano Concertos (Lars Vogt & Orchestre De Chambre De Paris) (A)
- Mozart: Complete Piano Sonatas (Elisabeth Leonskaja) (A)
- Mozart Y Mambo: Cuban Dances (Sarah Willis, José Antonio Méndez Padrón & Havana Lyceum Orchestra) (A)
James Ginsburg
- As We Are (Julian Velasco) (A)
- Avant L’Orage – French String Trios (Black Oak Ensemble) (A)
- Gems From Armenia (Aznavoorian Duo) (A)
- Stephenson: Symphony No. 3, ‘Visions’ (Vladimir Kulenovic & Lake Forest Symphony) (A)
- Trios From Contemporary Chicago (Lincoln Trio) (A)
- When There Are No Words – Revolutionary Works For Oboe And Piano (Alex Klein & Phillip Bush) (A)
Elaine Martone
- Beethoven: The Last Sonatas (Gerardo Teissonnière) (A)
- Big Things (Icarus Quartet) (A)
- Perspectives (Third Coast Percussion) (A)
- Schnittke: Concerto For Piano And Strings; Prokofiev: Symphony No. 2 (Yefim Bronfman, Franz Welser-Möst & The Cleveland Orchestra) (A)
- Strauss: Three Tone Poems (Franz Welser-Möst & The Cleveland Orchestra) (A)
- Upon Further Reflection (John Wilson) (A)
Judith Sherman
- Akiho: Oculus (Various Artists) (A)
- Bach, C.P.E.: Sonatas & Rondos (Marc-André Hamelin) (A)
- Bolcom: The Complete Rags (Marc-André Hamelin) (A)
- Felix & Fanny Mendelssohn: String Quartets (Takács Quartet) (A)
- Huang Ro’s A Dust In Time (Del Sol Quartet) (A)
- It Feels Like (Eunbi Kim) (A)
- León: Teclas De Mi Piano (Adam Kent) (A)
- Violin Odyssey (Itamar Zorman & Ieva Jokubaviciute) (A)
- Works By Florence Price, Jessie Montgomery, Valerie Coleman (Michael Repper & New York Youth Symphony) (A)

Classical

82. Best Orchestral Performance

Award to the Conductor and to the Orchestra.

Adams, John Luther: Sila – The Breath Of The World
Doug Perkins, conductor (Musicians Of The University Of Michigan Department Of Chamber Music & University Of Michigan Percussion Ensemble)
Dvořák: Symphonies Nos. 7-9
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor (Los Angeles Philharmonic)
Eastman: Stay On It
Christopher Rountree, conductor (Wild Up)
John Williams – The Berlin Concert
John Williams, conductor (Berliner Philharmoniker)
Works By Florence Price, Jessie Montgomery, Valerie Coleman
Michael Repper, conductor (New York Youth Symphony)*

83. Best Opera Recording

Award to the Conductor, Album Producer(s) and Principal Soloists, and to the Composer and Librettist (if applicable) of a world premiere Opera recording only.

Aucoin: Eurydice
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; Barry Banks, Nathan Berg, Joshua Hopkins, Erin Morley & Jakub Józef Orliński; David Frost, producer (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus)
Blanchard: Fire Shut Up In My Bones*
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; Angel Blue, Will Liverman, Latonia Moore & Walter Russell III; David Frost, producer (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus)
Davis: X – The Life And Times Of Malcolm X
Gil Rose, conductor; Ronnita Miller, Whitney Morrison, Victor Robertson & Davóne Tines; Gil Rose, producer (Boston Modern Orchestra Project; Odyssey Opera Chorus)

84. Best Choral Performance

Award to the Conductor, and to the Choral Director and/or Chorus Master where applicable and to the Choral Organization/Ensemble.

Bach: St. John Passion
John Eliot Gardiner, conductor (English Baroque Soloists; Monteverdi Choir)
Born*
Donald Nally, conductor (Dominic German, Maren Montalbano, Rebecca Myers & James Reese; The Crossing)
Verdi: Requiem – The Met Remembers 9/11
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; Donald Palumbo, chorus master (Michelle DeYoung, Eric Owens, Ailyn Pérez & Matthew Polenzani; The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus)

85. Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance

For new recordings of works with chamber or small ensemble (twenty-four or fewer members, not including the conductor). One Award to the ensemble and one Award to the conductor, if applicable.

Beethoven: Complete String Quartets, Volume 2 – The Middle Quartets
Dover Quartet
Musical Remembrances
Neave Trio
Perspectives
Third Coast Percussion
Shaw: Evergreen*
Attacca Quartet
What Is American
PUBLIQuartet

86. Best Classical Instrumental Solo

Award to the Instrumental Soloist(s) and to the Conductor when applicable.

Abels: Isolation Variation
Hilary Hahn
Bach: The Art Of Life
Daniil Trifonov
Beethoven: Diabelli Variations
Mitsuko Uchida
Letters For The Future*
Time For Three; Xian Zhang, conductor (The Philadelphia Orchestra)
A Night In Upper Town – The Music Of Zoran Krajacic
Mak Grgić

87. Best Classical Solo Vocal Album

Award to: Vocalist(s), Collaborative Artist(s) (Ex: pianists, conductors, chamber groups) Producer(s), Recording Engineers/Mixers with greater than 50% playing time of new material.

Eden
Joyce DiDonato, soloist; Maxim Emelyanychev, conductor (Il Pomo D’Oro)
How Do I Find You
Sasha Cooke, soloist; Kirill Kuzmin, pianist
Okpebholo: Lord, How Come Me Here?
Will Liverman, soloist; Paul Sánchez, pianist (J’Nai Bridges & Caen Thomason-Redus)
Stranger – Works For Tenor By Nico Muhly
Nicholas Phan, soloist (Eric Jacobson; Brooklyn Rider & The Knights; Reginald Mobley)
Voice Of Nature – The Anthropocene*
Renée Fleming, soloist; Yannick Nézet-Séguin, pianist

88. Best Classical Compendium

Award to the Artist(s) and to the Album Producer(s) and Engineer(s) of over 50% playing time of the album, and to the Composer and Librettist (if applicable) with over 50% playing time of a world premiere recording only.

An Adoption Story*
Starr Parodi & Kitt Wakeley; Jeff Fair, Starr Parodi & Kitt Wakeley, producers
Aspire
JP Jofre & Seunghee Lee; Enrico Fagone, conductor; Jonathan Allen, producer
A Concert For Ukraine
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; David Frost, producer
The Lost Birds
Voces8; Barnaby Smith & Christopher Tin, conductors; Sean Patrick Flahaven & Christopher Tin, producers

89. Best Contemporary Classical Composition

A Composer’s Award. (For a contemporary classical composition composed within the last 25 years, and released for the first time during the Eligibility Year.) Award to the librettist, if applicable.

Akiho: Ligneous Suite
Andy Akiho, composer (Ian Rosenbaum & Dover Quartet)
Bermel: Intonations
Derek Bermel, composer (Jack Quartet)
Gubaidulina: The Wrath Of God
Sofia Gubaidulina, composer (Andris Nelsons & Gewandhausorchester)
Puts: Contact
Kevin Puts, composer (Xian Zhang, Time for Three & The Philadelphia Orchestra)*
Simon: Requiem For The Enslaved
Carlos Simon, composer (Carlos Simon, MK Zulu, Marco Pavé & Hub New Music)

Music Video/Film

90. Best Music Video

Award to the artist, video director, and video producer.

Easy On Me
Adele
Xavier Dolan, video director; Xavier Dolan & Nancy Grant, video producers
Yet To Come
BTS
Yong Seok Choi, video director; Tiffany Suh, video producer
Woman
Doja Cat
Child., video director; Missy Galanida, Sam Houston, Michelle Larkin & Isaac Rice, video producers
The Heart Part 5
Kendrick Lamar
Dave Free & Kendrick Lamar, video directors; Jason Baum & Jamie Rabineau, video producers
As It Was
Harry Styles
Tanu Muino, video director; Frank Borin, Ivanna Borin, Fred Bonham Carter & Alexa Haywood, video producers
All Too Well: The Short Film*
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift, video director; Saul Germaine, video producer

91. Best Music Film

For concert/performance films or music documentaries. Award to the artist, video director, and video producer.

Adele One Night Only
Adele
Paul Dugdale, video director
Our World
Justin Bieber
Michael D. Ratner, video director; Kfir Goldberg, Andy Mininger & Scott Ratner, video producers
Billie Eilish Live At The O2
Billie Eilish
Sam Wrench, video director; Michelle An, Tom Colbourne, Chelsea Dodson & Billie Eilish, video producers
Motomami (Rosalía Tiktok Live Performance)
Rosalía
Ferrán Echegaray, Rosalía Vila Tobella & Stillz, video directors
Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story*
(Various Artists)
Frank Marshall & Ryan Suffern, video directors; Frank Marshall, Sean Stuart & Ryan Suffern, video producers
A Band A Brotherhood A Barn
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Dhlovelife, video director; Gary Ward, video producer

The 2023 GRAMMYs, officially known as the 65th GRAMMY Awards, returns to Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023, and will broadcast live on the CBS Television Network and stream live and on-demand on Paramount+ at 8-11:30 p.m. ET/5-8:30 p.m. PT.

The eligibility period for the 65th GRAMMY Awards is Friday, Oct. 1, 2021 – Friday, Sept. 30, 2022. All eligible awards entries must be released within this timeframe.

The Recording Academy and GRAMMY.com do not endorse any particular artist, submission or nominee over another. The results of the GRAMMY Awards, including winners and nominees, are solely dependent on the Recording Academy’s Voting Membership.

Review: ‘Faraaz,’ starring Zahan Kapoor, Aditya Rawal and Juhi Babbar Soni

February 5, 2023

by Carla Hay

“Faraaz”

Directed by Hansal Mehta

Hindi with subtitles

Culture Representation: Taking place in 2016, primarily in Dhaka, Bangladesh (and briefly in Mumbai, India), the dramatic film “Faraaz” (based on true events) features a predominantly Asian cast of characters (with some white people) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: Five young male terrorists commit a massacre and take hostages at a restaurant in Dhaka, and it’s soon revealed that one of the captives and one of the hostage takers used to know each other as schoolmates.

Culture Audience: “Faraaz” will appeal primarily to people who are interested in watching a dramatic and somewhat formulaic retelling of a tragedy from the perspective of someone who became an unexpected hero.

Aditya Rawal (standing), Zahan Kapoor, Pallak Lalwani and Reshham Sahaani in “Faraaz” (Photo courtesy of Reliance Entertainment)

Based on true events, “Faraaz” is an intense thriller that rises above some of its hostage-movie clichés with credible performances from most of the cast. People who already know the outcome of what happened in real life will not find any surprises in “Faraaz.” However, the story is different from most other hostage movies because it focuses on what happens when one of the hostage victims finds out that one of the hostage takers is a former schoolmate.

What types of psychological effects does this knowledge have on the victim? Will the victim feel more empowered or more vulnerable? And will this past connection help or hurt the victim and the other hostages? All of these questions are explored in subtle and obvious ways throughout “Faraaz,” which also shows how the hostage taker is affected by having a prior connection to a hostage victim. Ritesh Shah, Kashyap Kapoor and Raghav Kakkar wrote the “Faraaz” screenplay. “Faraaz” had its world premiere at the 2022 BFI London Film Festival.

Directed by Hansal Mehta, “Faraaz” takes place in 2016, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where the tragedy occurred in real life. The movie’s title character is 20-year-old Faraaz Hossain (played by Zahan Kapoor), who comes from an affluent family. Faraaz’s mother Simeen (played by Juhi Babbar Soni, also known as Juhi Babbar) is a high-ranking executive at Eskayef Bangladesh Limited, Transcom Consumer Products Limited, and Transcom Distribution Limited—all companies owned by Transcom Group, the corporation founded by Simeen’s father, Latifur Rahman.

Faraaz and his older brother Zaraif (played by Amir Shoeb) live with Simeen, who is a single parent. (Muhammad Waquer Bin Hossain, the real-life father of Faraaz and Zaraif, is not mentioned in the movie.) Simeen has the nickname Chhotu (or “little one”) for Zaraif. In the beginning of the movie, Simeen is annoyed with her sons because she had plans to go with them on a family vacation to Malaysia to celebrate the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr, but those plans went awry because the sons wanted to stay in Bangladesh.

Simeen and Faraaz also argue because she wants Faraaz and Zaraif to enroll in Stanford University in the United States. However, Faraaz wants to continue to go to school in Bangladesh. (In real life, Faraaz was a student at Emory University in Atlanta, and he was in Bangladesh while on a summer break from Emory.) Faraaz gets so upset, he storms out of the house, but he eventually returns and tells his mother that he’s sorry about the argument. Simeen makes an apology too, and she says that she will no pressure Faraaz and Zaraif about which university she wants them to attend.

Meanwhile, five men in their late teens and 20s are gathered in a room and eating on the floor together like roommates. They could easily pass for university students who share living quarters, but these young men are not at a university and the instructions they’ve been getting aren’t for a university education. They’ve been getting instructions on how to be radical Islamic terrorists.

Their leader is a man in his 30s named Rajiv (played by Godaan Kumar), who has been indoctrinating these young men into thinking that anyone who isn’t a devout Muslim is their enemy. Rajiv has masterminded an extreme plan to get attention for their fanatical causes. It’s a plan that he’s discussed with this group before, in conversations not shown in the movie, but the members of the group have been reluctant to carry out this plan.

What is shown in the movie is that Rajiv is now demanding that the group show loyalty and that they must execute the plan, or else he will think that they are cowards. After Rajiv scolds them and shames them, all five agree to do what Rajiv wants. A pleased-looking Rajiv drives off with the five young men together in a van. Viewers will soon see the diabolical plan that Rajiv has now set in motion.

It’s July 1, 2016, during the day. Faraaz, his female friend Tarika (played by Pallak Lawani) and Tarika’s neighbor Ayesha (played by Reshham Sahaani) are dining together at Holey Artisan Bakery, a popular casual restaurant in Dhaka. Many of the restaurant’s customers are tourists. What starts out as normal day turns into a nightmare for the people inside the restaurant and their loved ones.

The five men from Rajiv’s terrorist group storm inside the restaurant with assault weapons, including shotguns and rifles that they shoot indiscriminately inside the restaurant. Many people are shot and killed instantly. Some are wounded. A warning to sensitive viewers: The violence in this movie is very graphic.

The killers then take hostage of everyone who is still alive who can be found inside the restaurant. The hostages are mixture of locals and tourists. A few employees working in the back of the restaurant manage to escape during this mass shooting, and they contact law enforcement immediately.

The five terrorists who’ve committed these heinous crimes are Nibras (played by Aditya Rawal), Rohan (played by Sachin lalwani), Mobashir (played by Jatin Sarin), Bikash (played by Harshal Pawar) and Kairul (played by Ninaad Sahaunak Bhatt), who show varying degrees of cruelty during this killing spree. Nibras is the “alpha male” of the five, since he is the one who gives the orders. Rohan is a sadistic hothead who seems to take a great deal of pleasure in killing people, sometimes with “overkill,” by shooting people who are already dead. The rest of the group members have generic personalities.

The terrorists try to weed out the Muslims whom they think are worth saving by randomly demanding hostage victims to cite scripture from the Quran. If the hostages can’t do it, they are shot and killed. Faraaz and some other people are spared for this reason. During this interrogation, Faraaz notices that Nibras is a former schoolmate of his. Faraaz and Nibras also used to play on the same soccer team.

At one point, Faraaz asks Nibras: “How brainwashed are you?” Nibras shouts in response: “You’re the one who’s brainwashed!” Because these terrorists have ultra-conservative Muslim views, they show particular contempt for the female hostages who are are not wearing dresses and don’t have their hair covered with hijabs. Tarika is wearing jeans, and Ayesha is wearing denim shorts, and they both are wearing nothing on their heads, so you can imagine the verbal abuse and other harassment that they get from the terrorists.

Most of the movie is filmed as events take place in “real time,” which adds to the level of tension. Many things that happen inside this under-siege restaurant are what you might expect in a hostage movie. Other things are somewhat unexpected. For example, one of the terrorists shows glimmers of compassion, which is met with a lot of resistance from some of his cohorts. Will these conflicts in the group make a difference in saving lives?

Because the movie is told mainly from the perspective of Faraaz, there isn’t much that is told about the other hostages and murder victims inside the restaurant. A compassionate man named Dr. Salim Mujahid (played by Premji Jhangiani), one of the hostages who was able to quote from the Quran, treats a non-critical wound that Farah has behind his left ear. (This isn’t spoiler information, since the trailer for “Faraaz” shows that he gets wounded.)

A long-haired musician named Zaraif (played by Amir Shoeb), who has an acoustic guitar with him, is forced to play Muslim music for the terrorists. In another scene in the movie, the terrorists force Zaraif is to pose for a photo next to dead body, and they order Zaraif to smile for the camera during this sickening act. Because of his “hippie” appearance, Zaraif also becomes a target of scorn from the terrorists.

And where is Rajiv during all this madness and mayhem? He’s working in an office building, and he’s gleefully watching the events unfold through videos and photos that the terrorists have been sending to him on his phone during this rampage. Like the master manipulator that he is, Rajib has gotten his minions to do his dirty work, while he has ensured an alibi for himself during this crime spree. But he’s not very smart, because the videos and photos sent to him are evidence that can be used against him.

Meanwhile, Simeen, Zaraif and Tarika’s father Sudhir (played by Ahmir Ali) are outside the restaurant, frantically trying to get updates from the law enforcement officers who have surrounded the place in a tense standoff with the terrorists. The officers involved in this crisis include Commissioner Acchadujjaman (played by Danish Iqbal), Rab Officer Benazir (played by Kaushik Raj Chakraborty), Senior Inspector Farooq (played by Nitin Goyal), Deputy Commissioner Mushtaq (played by Aditya Mahajan) and SWAT officer Manirul (played by Rohan Roy). All of these law enforcement agents are portrayed in a standard manner in this movie.

A lot of chaos happens during this hostage crisis, but the movie skillfully keeps coming back to the way that the past acquaintance connection between Faraaz and Nibras will affect both of them in their thoughts and actions. In addition to solid acting from the principal cast members, “Faraaz” has very effective editing and cinematography that can immerse viewers into thing happening inside and outside the restaurant.

The movie’s introduction has a statement saying that “Faraaz” is dedicated to the heroes of this tragedy. But just like any movie about real people who were murdered, “Faraaz” is getting criticism for being exploitative. Most of this criticism is coming from people who haven’t seen the movie.

People who actually watch the entire film will probably find some of the violence disturbing, but “Faraaz” does not put any shame or exploitation on the victims, nor does it glamorize the terrorists. And although most of the characters in “Faraaz” get surface-level personalities, it’s because of the “real-time” pacing of the movie. There are no “flashbacks” to show the lives of the individual hostages.

Viewers are invited to think about why two men who went to the same school and share the same religion could end up in two very different places in how they think that religion should be a part of their lives and the lives of other people. There are no easy answers, and the “Faraaz” wisely chose not to spend any screen time showing how Rajiv persuaded his terrorist subordinates to do his bidding. The best takeaway from “Faraaz”—and the clear intention of the movie—is to show that even among atrocities and deep despair, there can also be courage and kindness that are stronger than any terrorist act.

Reliance Entertainment released “Faraaz” in select U.S. cinemas and in India on February 3, 2023.

Review: ‘Maybe I Do,’ starring Diane Keaton, Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, Emma Roberts, Luke Bracey and William H. Macy

February 5, 2023

by Carla Hay

“Maybe I Do”

Directed by Michael Jacobs

Culture Representation: Taking place in New York City, the comedy/drama film “Maybe I Do” features a predominantly white cast of characters (with a few African Americans and Latin people) representing the working-class and middle-class.

Culture Clash: A young woman pressures her boyfriend to propose marriage to her, while their married parents have extramarital encounters with each other.

Culture Audience: “Maybe I Do” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the movie’s headlining stars and don’t mind watching all this talent wasted in a dull and unimaginative movie.

Susan Sarandon, Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey in “Maybe I Do” (Photo courtesy of Vertical Entertainment)

“Maybe I Do” should be titled “Maybe You Don’t Want to Watch This Slow-Moving Train Wreck That’s a Waste of Time and Talent.” Everything about the dreadfully boring romantic dramedy “Maybe I Do” looks forced, fake, and awkward. The principal cast members just recite their awful dialogue (often stiffly) and never look convincing as couples. And there’s nothing romantic at all about this movie, unless you think it’s romantic to watch people in miserable marriages and a constantly whining woman threaten to break up with her boyfriend unless he proposes marriage to her. That’s essentially what viewers will see for about 80% of “Maybe I Do,” which has too much mindless repetition and not enough character development.

Written and directed by Michael Jacobs, “Maybe I Do” is based on a play that Jacobs wrote. The movie had the potential to be a witty look at an unlikely but not entirely impossible situation: Two unhappily married couples, who are strangers to each other, step outside their respective marriages by spending intimate time with the other couple’s spouses. Unbeknownst to these four spouses, one of the couple’s son is dating the other couple’s daughter. And when all six of them meet each other for the first time, it becomes a landmine of secrets, lies and pent-up resentment that could potentially destroy relationships.

This entire concept is already revealed in the trailer for “Maybe I Do,” which takes a excruciatingly long time to get to the very disappointing moment when the four spouses and their two children are in the same room together for the first time. Until then, “Maybe I Do” drags on and on with cringeworthy, unrealistic dialogue and painfully unfunny scenarios. Most of the principal cast members look like they have no emotional investment in their characters and only showed up for this movie for their salaries. Whatever they were paid for “Maybe I Do,” it wasn’t worth the embarrassment of being in this flop that most viewers will forget soon after seeing it.

“Maybe I Do” (which takes place in New York City, but the movie was actually filmed in New Jersey) begins by showing a sensitive sad sack named Sam (played by William H. Macy) , who is crying while watching a romantic movie in a nearly empty movie theater. Sam is by himself and has a quirk of putting candy, such as M&Ms and red licorice, on his popcorn to eat with the popcord. (Don’t ask, because the movie never bothers explaining this quirk.) Also in the movie theater is Grace (played by Diane Keaton), who sitting nearby and is also by herself. Sam and Grace are in their 70s.

Grace notices that Sam is crying, so she goes over to this stranger to comfort him. Grace strikes up a conversation with him in this theater (and apparently not caring that it’s very rude to talk in a movie theater when the movie is playing), and she finds out that they are both “distressed” and like to go to movies alone. It’s the first of many eye-rolling scenes in “Maybe I Do,” which is polluted with overly contrived scenarios that look very phony.

The next time Grace and Sam are seen together a few scenes later, it’s the same day that they’ve met. At this point, Sam and Grace have decided they’re going to spend some time together in a motel room, after changing their minds about it once. Sam says he just wants to “talk” in the motel room, and Grace nervously agrees.

They both know that they are unhappily married to other people. It’s an example of the movie’s sloppy writing and terrible editing to not show the conversation that Sam and Grace had about their marriages before they decided to get a motel room together. As far as viewers can see, one minute Sam and Grace have met. The next minute, Sam and Grace are getting a motel room together and feeling guilty about it. Viewers eventually find out if anything sexual happens between Sam and Grace in that motel room.

In the motel room, Grace and Sam sit on a bed together and turn on the TV. And what do you know: Porn just happens to be playing on the channel at that very moment. Grace, who is uptight and very sheltered, looks at the sex scene on TV, and she comments to Sam with amazement: “That’s how they do that?”

Grace and Sam eventually turn off the TV because what they’re watching is making them uncomfortable, as if they couldn’t possibly turn the channel and watch something else. It’s supposed to be a funny moment in the movie, but it just makes Grace look pathetic that she’s willfully ignorant about sex at this point in her married life. It should come as no surprise to viewers that Grace’s husband is cheating on her.

Grace’s husband is brash and arrogant Howard (played by Richard Gere), who is having a secret affair with materialistic and demanding Monica (played by Susan Sarandon), who is married to Sam. Howard and Monica are first seen in “Maybe I Do” while they are in a hotel bedroom, where Monica is trying to get sexually intimate with Howard, but he’s not interested. In fact, Howard wants to end this affair with Monica, but she still wants the affair to continue.

Here are some examples of the dull and trite lines of dialogue that Howard utters during this tryst with Monica: “Are we living our best lives? And also, what are we doing here?” The stars of “Maybe I Do” probably thought the same things while making this obvious dud of a movie.

Later, Howard says to Monica: “This is about leading the lives we have, to have the lives we deserve. It’s incredible to me you’ve been able to turn a one-night stand into something that it’s taken me four months to get out of.”

Monica gets upset when Howard tells her that he wants to end this four-month affair. She angrily tells him, “You walk out that door, and I’m going to figure out a way to get you back. I’m going to hurt you. I’m going to push that button, and you’re going to cease to exist.” Who talks that way? Only someone in a horribly written movie, or someone who thinks the world works like an episode of “The Twilight Zone.”

Meanwhile, the movie eventually reveals that Howard and Grace have a daughter named Michelle (played by Emma Roberts), while Sam and Monica have a son named Allen (played by Luke Bracey), who are having their own relationship problems. Michelle and Allen, who are in their early 30s, have been dating each other for a period of time that is never detailed in the movie.

However, they’ve been dating long enough for Michelle (who is very pouty and very bratty) to feel like her relationship with Allen needs to become a marriage. Allen (who is very laid-back and very bland) is in no rush to get married and likes the relationship exactly as it is now. Michelle issues an ultimatum to Allen: Tell her that he wants them to eventually get married, or she will break up with him.

This ultimatum comes after Michelle and Allen attend the wedding of Michelle’s best friend Sophia (played by Natalie Ortega), because this wedding triggers Michelle even more into wanting to get married. Michelle and Allen have a big argument during and after the wedding because of a stunt that Allen pulled at the ceremony. During the part of the ceremony where the bride throws her bouquet to the single women gathered to catch the bouquet (and whoever catches the bouquet is supposed to be the next one in the group to get married), Allen impulsively jumps above the women and catches the bouquet himself.

Why? Because he knew that Michelle was expecting to catch the bouquet, and he didn’t want her to use it as an excuse to pressure him to get married. Allen’s stupid plan backfires, because Michelle gets so angry at this stunt (which she calls the “most humiliating” experience of her life), she refuses to let Allen touch her until he decides if their relationship will lead to marriage.

And she gives him one day to decide. This is how she moronically gives this deadline: “This is my heart. This is my mind. All of it can be yours if you call within the next 24 hours. Operators are standing by.” Again: Who talks like that? And who would want to be married to someone who talks like that?

There’s a slightly misogynistic tone to “Maybe I Do,” which portrays all three women as mostly to blame for why the men feel miserable and trapped in these couple relationships. And they are some of the worst negative stereotypes for women: Michelle is a nagging shrew. Grace is a judgmental prude. Monica is a selfish manipulator.

Sam is portrayed as the most sympathetic person of the six main characters, because he is starved for love and affection but is constantly rejected by Monica. Sam laments to Grace that Monica “hates him,” and he’s grown to “hate” her too. The movie makes it look like Sam has been trying to make his marriage work with Monica, but she has been cruelly dismissive to Sam. Meanwhile, “Maybe I Do” makes it abundantly clear that Grace’s hangups about sex are what probably drove Howard to cheat on her.

“Maybe I Do” writer/director Jacobs could have done so many more interesting things with these characters, but he resorts to using lazy stereotypes of characters that these principal cast members have played before in many other movies. Having two Oscar winners (Keaton and Sarandon) in the movie’s cast doesn’t mean much when they are further typecast in hollow roles. Jacobs, who created the TV comedy series “Boy Meets World” (which was on the air from 1993 to 2000) brings a stale sitcom tone to the movie, including have a corny musical score that’s sounds like it came from an outdated sitcom. In other words, don’t expect anything new, fresh and exciting in “Maybe I Do,” which clumsily lumbers along until its very predictable and uninspired end.

Vertical Entertainment released “Maybe I Do” in U.S. cinemas on January 27, 2023.

Review: ‘The Eternal Memory,’ starring Paulina Urrutia and Augusto Góngora

February 4, 2023

by Carla Hay

“The Eternal Memory”

Directed by Maite Alberdi

Spanish with subtitles

Culture Representation: Taking place in Chile, the documentary film “The Eternal Memory” features an all-Chilean group of people representing the working-class and middle-class.

Culture Clash: The documentary chronicles several months in the lives of former actress/politician Paulina Urrutia and her husband Augusto Góngora, a former TV journalist who covered Chile’s civil unrest in the 1970s and 1980s, and who now has Alzheimer’s disease.

Culture Audience: “The Eternal Memory” will appeal primarily to people who are interested in non-fiction stories about couples who have a partner living with Alzheimer’s disease and an upper-middle-class perspective of Chilean history.

Paulina Urrutia and Augusto Góngora in “The Eternal Memory” (Photo courtesy of MTV Documentary Films)

“The Eternal Memory” is a beautiful but slow-paced love story between two Chilean spouses who are living with the husband’s dementia. This intimate documentary shows paralells of the couple remembering their romance while not wanting to forget the sins and suffering of Chile under the rule of dictator Augusto Pinochet. Viewers of “The Eternal Memory” who are expecting a lot of drama in this movie will be disappointed or will have their patience tested. But for viewers willing to immerse themselves in this couple’s world, “The Eternal Memory” can be a thoughtful and emotionally moving experience.

Directed by Maite Alberdi, “The Eternal Memory” was filmed for an unspecified period of time in the early 2020s. The movie is a combination of home-video footage filmed for the documentary and archival footage from other sources. “The Eternal Memory” had its world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the grand jury prize in the World Cinema Documentary Competition.

Alberdi previously directed the Oscar-nominated 2020 documentary “The Mole Agent,” which was about a Chilean senior citizen who was hired to check himself into a group retirement home, in order to find out more about the residents’ emotional well-being. “The Mole Agent” has themes of old age and the loneliness that elderly people can experience when they lose their memories or feel neglected. These themes are also in “The Eternal Memory,” but there’s a broader and more political context to the documentary that “The Mole Agent” did not have.

The two spouses at the center of “The Eternal Memory” are former actress-turned-politician Paulina “Pauli” Urrutia and former TV news journalist Augusto Góngora. The documentary shows repeatedly how devoted they are to each other, and they still have a romantic spark between them after being together for many years. Urrutia and Góngora became a couple in 1997, and they got married in 2016. Urrutia and Góngora have no children together, but some of the couple’s archival home videos in the documentary show them spending time with Góngora’s children Javiera and Cristóbal, from his previous marriage to Patricia Naut.

Born in 1969, Urrutia pursued an acting career since she was a child, eventually landing roles in Chilean movies and TV shows in the 1980s and 1990s. In the 21st century, she segued into politics. She was elected general secretary and president of the Chilean Actors Union (Sidarte) in 2001. And in 2006, she was appointed president of the National Council of Culture and the Arts.

Góngora also spent most of his life in the public eye. Born in 1952, Góngora is best known for his work as a TV news journalist in Chile, where he was a leader of the underground “Teleanálisis” newscast in the 1980s. He was a director and executive producer at Televisión Nacional de Chile (TVN) from 1980 to 2010. He also became a documentary filmmaker, with credits that include “The Weapons of Peace,” “Forbidden Children” and “The Seed of the Wind.”

In addition, Góngora dabbled in acting. A scene in the documentary shows Urrutia and Góngora reminiscing about the late filmmaker/actor Raúl Ruiz, who acted with Góngora in the 1997 miniseries “La Recta Provincia,” the only on-screen acting role that Góngora ever had. In “The Eternal Memory” scene, Urrutia asks Góngora if he remembers if Ruiz is alive or dead. Góngora says that he knows Ruiz is dead, and he remembers that Ruiz did not want to die.

Góngora was known for delivering hard-hitting investigations of the country’s civil unrest during the 1973 to 1990 reign of right-wing military dictator Augusto Pinochet. During this turbulent era in Chilean history, more than 3,000 people went missing or were found murdered. Thousands of children were orphaned. A scene in the “The Eternal Memory” shows Góngora and Urrutia morosely remembering a mutual friend named Jose Manuel Parada, who was kidnapped during the Pinochet regime.

Having to report these atrocities and other tragedies left a deep impact on Góngora, who seems to still be haunted by some of these memories. In addition to archival news footage of Góngora on the job as a TV news journalist, there’s footage of Góngora speaking about social injustice while promoting the non-fiction book “Chile: La Memoria Prohibida,” which he co-authored with other journalists. (“Chile: La Memoria Prohibida” means “Chile: The Forbidden Memory” in Spanish.)

Archival footage of Góngora shows that he was one of the first TV news journalists in Chile who advocated for citizen video journalism, where everyday citizens who are not professional journalists filmed their own footage that mainstream TV news would later used and give credit to these non-journalists who filmed the footage. Long before social media and viral videos ever existed, citizen video journalism was a form of journalism that started to increase in 1980s, when portable video cameras became more affordable to the average person.

Góngora is seen commenting in some 1980s footage, where she shares his thoughts about citizen video journalism: “We had the wonderful task of displaying the images of a country that was invisible in Chile, but a country that existed. We started giving an everyday version that did not appear on any Chilean TV station.”

There’s some archival footage of Urrutia when she was a politician, but the tone of “The Forgotten Memory” seems to be that the work that Góngora did was much more important than Urrutia’s work. Góngora’s career gets most of the screen time in the segments that show Góngora’s and Urrutia’s work lives before they retired. Urrutia is now Góngora’s full-time caretaker. If she has any help inside the home, it’s not shown in the documentary.

“The Forgotten Memory” has an abundance of everyday footage of Urrutia and Góngora at home talking about their lives. The movie opens with Góngora waking up in bed and remembering his name but not remembering who Urrutia is. She has to remind him that she is his wife, and she used to be an actress. She also tells him that he has two siblings and that his children’s names are Cristóbal and Javiera.

Urrutia and Góngora are shown doing couple activities, such as going for walks together and having meals together. She sometimes has to feed him because he can’t feed himself. During their walks outside, Góngora occasionally expresses mild frustration that he can’t walk as fast and as nimbly as he could when he was younger. They are physically affectionate with each other, such as when Urrutia lovingly dries Góngora with a towel after he gets out of a shower, or when they hold each other and kiss like partners who are best friends and in love.

Some of the most emotionally tender moments in the documentary are when Góngora is fully aware of who Urrutia is and expresses love and gratitude for her being in his life. In a scene where the spouses are having dinner together, he tells Urrutia in an appreciative manner, “You have given me so many things.” He also calls her “beautiful” while she silently sheds tears and smiles. In another scene, Góngora supportively watches in the audience when Urrutia performs on stage for a local theater group.

Through it all, Urrutia is extraordinarily patient, kind and emotionally strong. The documentary never shows her having any tearful meltdowns, expressing fear, or admitting that things can be sad and overwhelming when living with someone who has dementia. In that respect, “The Forgotten Memory” unfortunately gives the impression that it’s glossing over any emotional stress that Urrutia is no doubt having from being a caretaker of spouse with dementia.

When “The Forgotten Memory” tries to make Urrutia look so saint-like, it actually becomes a flaw in the documentary, which seems to leave out uncomfortable truths about the emotional toll and sometimes resentment that can build up when someone has the entire responsibility of taking care of a loved one with dementia. No one is realistically that saint-like all the time. Because the original footage in “The Forgotten Memory” is filmed cinéma vérité-style, there are no “talking head” interviews to provide outside analysis of what is going on with this couple.

Perhaps in an effort to give the image that she’s a “superwoman” spouse, Urrutia doesn’t really open up about any inner turmoil she is feeling, or her thoughts on preparing for the inevitable end of Góngora’s life. In front of the camera, she is upbeat but very emotionally guarded in other ways. The documentary would have been better and perhaps more helpful to people going through similar situations if Urrutia had been candid about her vulnerabilities of feeling emotional pain, doubt and hopelessness.

“The Eternal Memory” looks more honest in the uncensored moments when Góngora starts rambling about his frustrations. There’s a scene where Góngora gets very distraught because he knows he’s losing his memory, and he laments the loss of friends. He also says he doesn’t want to go on like this any more and that he feels alone. Urrutia’s response is to hug him and assure him that he’s not alone.

What remains unspoken but is seen in the documentary is that Urrutia and Góngora are very much alone during most of their time at home. The documentary doesn’t really show them having any visitors on a regular basis. It’s never fully explored how the couple feels about being “abandoned” by the friends who faded away from the couple’s lives.

One can imagine that the couple had plenty of friends when Urrutia and Góngora had elite positions that gave Urrutia and Góngora a certain amount of fame. Where are those friends now? Observant viewers will notice that this is the type of loss that is perhaps too painful for Urrutia and Góngora to talk about at length on camera.

It’s implied but not said out loud that these former friends were too uncomfortable with seeing Góngora living with Alzheimer’s disease. In one of the movie’s emotionally touching scenes, Góngora mournfully says out loud to himself, “No one asks me, ‘Remember when’ anymore.” As for Góngora’s adult children, they are not in the documentary’s new footage, and there is no explanation for their absence.

Urrutia and Góngora might feel a certain sense of isolation and abandonment from people who used to be close to them, but “The Eternal Memory” wonderfully shows how these two spouses have each other in a loving and emotionally healthy relationship. In the documentary, Góngora tells Urrutia that he doesn’t want to live for many more years. Whatever happens to this husband and wife, they both have had lives well-lived, with “The Eternal Documentary” being an impressive testament to their enduring love. The movie doesn’t tell the whole story of their relationship, but what is shown is meaningful and inspiring.

MTV Documentary Films will release “The Eternal Memory” in select U.S. cinemas on a date to be announced.

Review: ‘The Point Men’ (2023), starring Hwang Jung-min, Hyun Bin and Kang Ki-young

February 3, 2023

by Carla Hay

Kang Ki-young, Hyun Bin and Hwang Jung-min in “The Point Men” (Photo courtesy of 815 Pictures)

“The Point Men” (2023)

Directed by Yim Soon-rye

Korean, Dari and Pashto with subtitles

Culture Representation: Taking place in 2006, in Afghanistan and in South Korea, the action film “The Point Men” (inspired by true events) features a predominantly Asian cast of characters (with a few white people) representing the working-class and middle-class.

Culture Clash: A diplomat, a National Intelligence Service agent and a coordinator/interpreter from South Korea have conflicts and challenges in trying to rescue 23 South Korean missionaries who are being held hostage in Afghanistan.

Culture Audience: “The Point Men” will appeal primarily to people who are interested in an action-movie version of a hostage crisis.

Hwang Jung-min, Kang Ki-young and Hyun Bin in “The Point Men” (Photo courtesy of 815 Pictures)

As an action film inspired by true events, “The Point Men” can be flawed and often formulaic. However, the movie is appealing for the three charismatic central performances of the negotiators who sometimes clash with each other during a hostage crisis. In addition, “The Point Men” (which also has the title “Bargaining”) offers a web of intrigue, as betrayals and questionable identities have an impact on this rescue mission.

Directed by Yim Soon-rye and written by Ahn Yeong-su, “The Point Men” is inspired by the real-life 2007 crisis of 23 Christian missionaries from South Korea being held hostage by Taliban kidnappers in Afghanistan. “The Point Men” changes the year of this kidnapping from 2007 to 2006, with the movie taking place from September to December 2006. Some of the action sequences are very over-the-top and obviously did not happen in real life, but “The Point Men” is not intended to be completely factual in telling this story.

“The Point Men” begins in a remote area of Afghanistan, on September 19, 2006: the day of the kidnapping. (The movie was actually filmed in Jordan.) The 23 Christian missionaries from South Korea are on a bus that is hijacked by armed Taliban terrorists, who force everyone off of the bus and then plant an explosive in the bus to completely destroy it. The unnamed Taliban leader (played by Fahim Fazli) who masterminded this kidnapping is both ruthless and fickle.

At first, the kidnappers say that they will let the 23 hostages go if 23 Taliban inmates are released from Afghanistan prisons. However, the terms of the deal and the deadlines to meet the kidnappers’ demands keep changing. At one point, the kidnappers demand a small fortune in ransom money. The Afghanistan government refuses to release any Taliban prisoners, much to the frustration of the South Korean government.

The South Korean government has sent several officials to Afghanistan to negotiate for the release of the hostages. The diplomat who has been appointed the chief negotiator is Jung Jae-ho (played by Hwang Jung-min), who thinks of himself as someone who has a strong morality and effective negotiating skills. Jae-ho is unfamiliar with a lot of Afghan customs, so he is ordered to get help from National Intelligence Service (NIS) agent named Park Dae-sik (played by Hyun Bin), who has been embedded in Afghanistan for a number of years. Dae-sik works with a coordinator/interpreter named Qasim, also known as Lee Bong-han (played by Kang Ki-young), who can speak Korean and the Afghan languages of Dari and Pashto.

Dae-sik is first seen getting out of jail in Afghanistan, after serving a sentence of about three or four months for counterfeiting. It’s the first sign that Dae-sik is a roguish agent who might not hesitate to break rules to get what he wants. By contrast, Jae-ho is very “by the book,” and doesn’t want to violate any laws in this negotiation process. Dae-sik tends to be impulsive and would rather take part in a combat rescue mission to get the hostages free, while Jae-ho is very methodical and thinks that non-violent negotiations are the best way to free the hostages.

It’s a formula that’s been used in countless action movies that pair up protagonists of opposite personalities who have to find a way to work together despite their differences. The older person in this partnership is usually the more cautious one, while the younger person is more of a risk-taker. If a third person is along for the ride, that person usually has the role of the goofy sidekick. And that’s exactly what Qasim/Lee Bong-han is, since he provides most of the movie’s comic relief.

“The Point Men” has a very good balance of showing the type of discussions that take place in government offices during a hostage crisis and the physical work that takes place outside of government office buildings during these types of missions. Jae-ho is often frustrated by Afghanistan’s unnamed minister of foreign affairs (played by Iyad Hajjaj), because this Afghan government official doesn’t seem very willing to help the South Koreans. Meanwhile, Dae-sik and Qasim spend a lot of time meeting with members of the Taliban in various locations, in attempts to get information helpful to their mission.

It doesn’t take long before the tension-filled action starts. Jae-ho and some other South Korean officials get stuck in traffic on their way to an important meeting in the Afghan capital city of Kabul. They try to bypass the long line of vehicles by dangerously going into a lane for traffic going in the opposite direction. But that doesn’t work either, since they encounter another roadblock. Just as they are about to get out and walk, a suicide bomber gets out of a car and detonates the area, injuring several people, including Jae-ho.

This harrowing incident is a reminder to Jae-ho that his life could be a stake in addition to the hostages’ lives. Two of his colleagues who are with him on this mission are Vice Minister Kim (played by Jung Jae-sung) and Secretary Cha (played by Jeon Sung-woo), Meanwhile, a mysterious Afghan British businessman named Abdullah (played by Brian Larkin) offers to help because he says that he has been successful with previous hostage negotiations. Dae-sik thinks that Abdullah could be an important ally, while Jae-ho is very skeptical.

“The Point Men” goes along at a fairly energetic pace, although some parts of the movie’s plot has people getting out of difficult situations a lot easier than they would in real life. The dynamics between Jae-ho, Dae-sik, Qasim/Lee Bong-han are among the highlights of the movie, since Hwan, Hyun and Kang embody these roles in ways that are always watchable. The movie shows the expected bickering as well as the evolving respect that develops between these three rescuers.

“The Point Men” falters in how little screen time is given to showing the hostages. A few hostages are mentioned by name and by occupation. And there are scenes of the hostages huddling in fear in their place of captivity. But the hostages are essentially background characters. The movie’s ending is a little too contrived, but there’s enough in “The Point Men” to hold the interest of anyone looking for a high-octane “heroes versus villains” story that takes place during the war in Afghanistan.

815 Pictures released “The Point Men” in select U.S. cinemas on January 27, 2023. The movie was released in South Korea on January 18, 2023.

Review: ‘Gandhi Godse – Ek Yudh,’ starring Deepak Antani and Chinmay Mandlekar

February 2, 2023

by Carla Hay

“Gandhi Godse – Ek Yudh”

Directed by Rajkumar Santoshi

Hindi with subtitles

Culture Representation: Taking place in 1948, primarily in New Delhi, India, the dramatic film “Gandhi Godse – Ek Yudh” features an all-Asian cast of characters representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: In a story that revises history, political revolutionary Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (also known as Mahatma Gandhi), a preacher of non-violence, survives an assassination attempt by Hindu nationalist Nathuram Vinayak Godse, and the two men have ongoing political debates about how much power Hindus should have in India.

Culture Audience: “Gandhi Godse – Ek Yudh” will appeal primarily to people who don’t mind watching a ridiculous story that insults the legacy of a beloved historical figure.

Deepak Antani in “Gandhi Godse – Ek Yudh” (Photo courtesy of PVR Pictures)

“Gandhi Godse – Ek Yudh” is a fictional drama in every sense of the word, because the movie completely rewrites history about Indian political revolutionary Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (also known as Mahatma Gandhi) to turn it into something that looks like an ill-conceived fairy tale. Although the movie’s intentions might have been good, it’s a bizarre and revisionist fantasy that insults Gandhi and makes his assassin look like a misunderstood fanatic who could easily manipulate Gandhi. Perhaps the best thing that can be said about this movie is that at least the actor playing Gandhi resembles him.

Written and directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, “Gandhi Godse – Ek Yudh” (which means “Gandhi Godse – A War” in Hindi) takes place in 1948, mainly in the Indian capital city of New Delhi. In real life, Gandhi (who preached tolerance of other cultures and non-violence) was assassinated by a gun shooting on January 30, 1948, at the age of 78. Gandhi’s murderer was Nathuram Vinayak Godse, a Hindu nationalist who believed that only Hindus should have power in India. Godse, who was found guilty in a trial, was executed by hanging on November 15, 1949.

In “Gandhi Godse – Ek Yudh,” Gandhi (played by Deepak Antani) is shot by Godse (played by Chinmay Mandlekar) in public in January 1948, but Godse survives the assassination. Godse, who has a particular hatred of Pakistanis, then launches a public smear campaign against Gandhi, in order to make Gandhi look like a traitor to India. The two men meet up under various circumstances to have political debates in public and in private. That’s the flimsy concept of this very misguided film.

It’s a fundamentally flawed concept, because Godse faces no real punishment for trying to kill Gandhi. The movie makes it look like Godse was let out of jail in a matter of a few months. “Gandhi Godse – Ek Yudh” never shows Godse on trial or entering a “guilty” or “not guilty” plea to attempted murder charges in a courtroom. This careless disregard in ignoring any realistic legal consequences for this assassination attempt is enough to ruin the movie.

It gets worse. “Gandhi Godse – Ek Yudh” also has an unnecessary subplot about a young couple meeting Gandhi when he was in a hospital recovering from his gunshot wounds. The couple’s names are Sushma (played by Tanisha Santoshi) and her boyfriend Naren (played by Anuj Saini), who teaches English at a local college. Sushma and Naren plan to get married, and they want Gandhi’s blessing.

The storyline with Sushma and Naren is nothing but filler to stretch out the movie and have a few sappy singing scenes. The romance between Sushma and Naren is as boring as can be and really adds nothing to the movie. It’s all contrived so that there’s a conflict when Godse finds out that Gandhi does not approve of Sushma and Naren getting married. Godse’s thoughts on this romance is used as a reason for Godse to have more resentment toward Gandhi. Yes, this part of the movie is as bad as it sounds.

All of the acting performances in “Gandhi Godse – Ek Yudh” range from mediocre to terrible, just like the dialogue and scenarios in the movie. Real-life political figures Jawaharlal Nehru (played by Pawan Chopra) and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (played by Ghanshyam Srivastav) are portrayed as hollow and generic. “Gandhi Godse – Ek Yudh” wants to promote the idea that Gandhi and Godse could have had a “frenemy” relationship. In the movie, it all looks like a tacky soap opera.

“Gandhi Godse – Ek Yudh” is filled with ridiculous and unrealistic scenarios that truly insult the intelligence of viewers. Even people who might not know anything about Gandhi can see how moronic everything is in this train wreck of a movie. The “debates” between Gandhi and Godse are very repetitive and lack anything than can be considered clever. And to top it all off, the ending of “Gandhi Godse – Ek Yudh” is absolutely heinous and just confirms that this garbage movie is completely irredeemable.

PVR Pictures released “Gandhi Godse – Ek Yudh” in select U.S. cinemas and in India on Janaury 26, 2023.

Review: ‘Knock at the Cabin,’ starring Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Kristen Cui, Abby Quinn and Rupert Grint

February 1, 2023

by Carla Hay

“Knock at the Cabin”

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan

Culture Representation: Taking place primarily in an unnamed city in Pennsylvania, the horror film “Knock at the Cabin” features a racially diverse cast of characters (white, Asian and African American) representing the working-class and middle-class.

Culture Clash: Two husbands and their 7-year-old adopted daughter are held hostage in a remote cabin by four strangers, who tell them that one of the family members must choose to kill another family member, or else there will be an apocalypse that will kill everyone on Earth except the three family members.

Culture Audience: “Knock at the Cabin” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan and horror movies with apocalyptic themes.

Abby Quinn, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Dave Bautista and Rupert Grint in “Knock at the Cabin” (Photo by PhoByMo/Universal Pictures)

The apocalyptic horror film “Knock at the Cabin” has a more predictable story than the novel on which it is based, but the movie still delivers many tension-filled scenes and memorable characters. The cast members, particularly Ben Aldridge and Kristen Cui, elevate the film with their credible performances. “Knock at the Cabin” is one of those movies where you can figure out from watching the trailers how everything is probably going to end. It’s one of the few movies from filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan that does not have a shocking twist.

Shyamalan directed “Knock at the Cabin” and co-wrote the movie’s screenplay with Steve Desmond and Michael Sherman. The movie’s screenplay is adapted from Paul Tremblay’s 2018 novel “The Cabin at the End of the World,” which has a very different turn of events than the movie version of this book. It’s easy to see why the filmmakers chose to make these changes, because there are many things in the book that would not be as “crowd-pleasing” to movie audiences.

Even though “Knock at the Cabin” plays it very safe in how the movie was adapted from the book, there’s still enough in the movie that brings a level of gripping suspense, thanks to skilled editing and capable acting performances. Except for flashbacks and scenes showing events on TV news, “Knock at the Cabin” takes place primarily in a remote area in an unnamed city in Pennsylvania. The filmmakers of “Knock at the Cabin” wisely chose not to clutter up the movie with extraneous characters and locations that are not in “The Cabin at the End of the World.”

“Knock at the Cabin” begins with showing a kind and intelligent 7-year-old girl named Wen (played by Cui) collecting grasshoppers in an open field and putting them in a bottle. Wen is an aspiring veterinarian—she says she wants to be “take care of animals” when she grows up. She is cataloguing the statistics of the grasshoppers that she has collected, and she has even named the grasshoppers. Wen (who is an only child) and her two gay fathers Andrew (played by Aldridge) and Eric (played by Jonathan Groff) are on a vacation trip in this isolated wooded area of Pennsylvania, where the family is staying at a cabin.

Suddenly, a hulking man named Leonard (played by Dave Bautista) emerges from the woods. He approaches Wen and makes small talk with her. At first Wen is wary of this stranger, but she starts to warm up to him when he shows an interest in her grasshopper collection by helping her get a grasshopper and asking her about the collection. Wen says she will turn 8 years old in six days. Leonard tells Wen that he wants to be her friend and he needs to go inside the home where her parents are.

Leonard is not alone. He has three companions with him, who all have the same intentions. Redmond (played by Rupert Grint) has an angry personality. Sabrina (played by Nikki Amuka-Bird) has a calm personality. Adriane (played by Abby Quinn) has a cheerful personality. Leonard is their leader, and he has a “take charge” personality. All four of these strangers are armed and dangerous.

As already shown in the movie’s trailers, all four of these strangers break into the cabin and take Andrew, Eric and Wen hostage. Andrew and Eric put up a fight in self-defense. Eric gets into a losing brawl with Sabrina, and he gets a concussion from being knocked to the ground. Andrew and Eric are then tied to chairs, although (as the movie trailer already reveals) Wen is not tied up, and she briefly escapes.

Leonard tells this captured family that they have to make a choice: someone in the family has to voluntarily kill someone else in the family, or else there will be an apocalypse where everyone on Earth except this family of three will be killed. Every time someone in the family refuses to kill someone else in the family, a plague will descend on Earth until the world-ending apocalypse will happen.

Andrew (the more outspoken and more assertive husband) is immediately skeptical and thinks that these four strangers are mentally ill. Andrew mentions later in the movie that he’s a human rights attorney, which goes a long way in explaining why Andrew thinks he can argue his way out of this horrible situation. At first, Andrew and Eric also think that this home invasion is a hate crime because Andrew and Eric are a gay couple. But Leonard denies it and says that he and his three cohorts did not know in advance that the targeted family would have a same-sex couple.

Andrew and Eric refuse to kill anyone in their family. As already shown in the movie’s trailer, as a result, a plague happens that kills numerous people near the Pacific Ocean. (Shyamalan continues his tradition of appearing in small roles as an actor in the movies that he directs. In “Knock at the Cabin,” he briefly appears on the cabin’s TV set as a co-host of an infomercial that is interrupted by breaking news.) Leonard shows the family the TV news to prove that this plague happening.

Andrew is convinced that the four strangers knew in advance that this catastrophe was going to happen. Leonard insists that he, Sabrina, Leonard and Adriane were all strangers with the same visions who found each other through the Internet. Leonard also says that several families over time have had to make the same decision. And he emphatically states that he, Sabrina, Leonard and Adriane are “heartbroken” that they have to force Andrew and Eric to make this life-changing decision.

In order to make themselves relatable, Leonard and the rest of the home invaders tells the captured family more about themselves. Leonard says he’s from Chicago and has two jobs: He’s an elementary schoolteacher who runs an after-school program for second graders, and he’s a bartender.

Sabrina is a hospital nurse who works at an intensive-care unit in Southern California. She says she feel guilty about Eric getting injured in their fight, so she tends to Eric’s head wounds. Sabrina also says that the rules are that Eric must be thinking clearly when making his decision with Andrew. But who exactly is making these “rules”?

Adriane says she’s a line cook at a Mexican restaurant in Washington, D.C. “I love to feed people,” she adds. Later in the movie, Adriane says she has a pre-teen son named Charlie, and she begs the hostage family to not let the apocalypse happen, or else her son is going to die.

Redmond is an ex-con who works at a gas company in Medford, Massachusetts. He mentions coming from an abusive family where “my father used to beat the shit out of me.” Later, Andrew is convinced that he knows Redmond from a traumatic event that happened in Andrew’s past.

As the tension builds over what decision will be made, “Knock at the Cabin” shows flashbacks of Andrew and Eric’s life together before this home invasion. Viewers will find out that Andrew’s parents (played by McKenna Kerrigan and Ian Merrill Peakes) disapprove of him being gay, while Eric’s mother (who is never seen in the movie) is accepting of Eric’s sexuality. Andrew and Eric also went to China to adopt Wen when she was a baby, but Andrew had to pretend to be the brother of Eric’s non-existent wife, in order to avoid any homophobic restrictions that would prevent them from adopting Wen.

There are also flashbacks to happy family times with Andrew, Eric and Wen, such as when they’re driving in their car while K.C. and the Sunshine Band’s 1975 hit song “Boogie Shoes” is playing. Andrew, Eric and Wen love this song so much, they sing loudly and joyfully move to the beat of the song. “Boogie Shoes” will be used again later in the movie in an emotionally powerful scene.

Because “Knock at the Cabin” is a horror movie, not everyone will make it out alive. At a certain point, it becomes very obvious which of the husbands will be more open to the idea of killing someone in the family, in order to save the world. But will that husband be able to convince his spouse?

There are no real surprises in “Knock at the Cabin,” except for how much the movie removed some of the risk-taking plot developments from “The Cabin at the End of the World.” With a total running time of 100 minutes, “Knock at the Cabin” is a taut thriller that doesn’t drag on for longer than the story needed, although some parts of the movie get a little repetitive. Knock at the Cabin” is a very Hollywood movie version of the book, but it’s ultimately satisfactory entertainment for horror fans who don’t want to see anything too disturbing on screen.

Universal Pictures will release “Knock at the Cabin” in U.S. cinemas on February 3, 2023.

Review: ‘Mami Wata’ (2023), starring Evelyne Ily, Uzoamaka Aniunoh, Emeka Amakeze, Rita Edochie and Kelechi Udegbe

January 31, 2023

by Carla Hay

Evelyne Ily in “Mami Wata” (Photo courtesy of Sundance Institute)

“Mami Wata” (2023)

Directed by C.J. “Fiery” Obasi

Culture Representation: Taking place in the fictional West African village of Iyi, the dramatic film “Mami Wata” features a nearly all-black cast of characters (with one white person) representing the working-class and middle-class.

Culture Clash: A village that believes in the water goddess Mami Wata is disrupted by a stranger who doesn’t have the same beliefs.

Culture Audience: “Mami Wata” will appeal primarily to people who are interested in artistic-looking movies about African folklore and female empowerment.

Rita Edochie in “Mami Wata” (Photo courtesy of Sundance Institute)

Dream-like and gorgeously atmospheric, the dramatic film “Mami Wata” offers a fresh and fascinating new story about Mami Wata, the water goddess of African folkore. The movie has a “slow burn” storytelling that picks up more fiery energy as it goes along when conflicts among the characters start to increase. “Mami Wata” has a lot to stay about respect—respect for nature, respect for spirituality and respect for female empowerment in a world where there are forces that want to disrespect or destroy all three. The movie’s deliberate pacing won’t be for everyone, but viewers with patience and open minds will be rewarded with an absorbing and thoroughly engaging story.

Written and directed by C.J. “Fiery” Obasi, “Mami Wata” takes place in the fictional and remote West African village of Iyi, which is located near a beach. The name of the country is not named in the movie, but it implied to be Nigeria. There are several languages in Nigeria, but in Nigeria, “iyi” means laws, rules and regulations. And in Iyi, the village lives by spiritual rules where the water goddess Mami Wata is worshipped. The village doesn’t trust outsiders and modern conveniences, such as technology or advanced medical practices. Iyi does not have a school, hospital or army because the villagers believe that Mami Wata will take care of all of their needs.

“Mami Wata” was filmed entirely in black and white, which makes the imagery in the movie even more striking. “Mami Wata” had its world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, where the movie won the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Cinematography. “Mami Wata” cinematographer Lílis Soares makes the movie look both hypnotic and grounded in stark realism. It also looks “of the moment” yet timeless.

In the beginning of the movie, Iyi is under the leadership of Mama Eche (played by Rita Edochie), an intermediary who claims to have a direct spiritual line to Mami Wata. Mama Eche, who has a very stoic and solemn personality, is believed to have healing powers for physical and spiritual issues. But lately, some people in the village are starting to think that Mama Eche’s powers are slipping. And they are starting to question if Mami Wata even exists.

Mama Eche has a daughter named Zinwe (played by Uzoamaka Aniunoh), who is in her late teens or early 20s. Zinwe is expected to be Mama Eche’s successor as the village’s intermediary when Mama Eche dies or is ready to pass on those duties to Zinwe. However, Zinwe has a mind of her own and doesn’t really want to be the village’s next intermediary.

Zinwe is also upset with some of Mama Eche’s decisions. In one of the movie’s earliest scenes, a grieving mother has come to Mama Eche for spiritual guidance because the mother’s daughter has died. Mama Eche tells the woman, “Your child didn’t die. She went back to where she came from. You know how it is.”

Zinwe thinks Mama Eche has the power to bring this child back to life and should have done so to help the grieving mother. Zinwe tells Mama Eche, “Mama, if it was me, what woud you have done?” Mama Eche says nothing in response. Zinwe angrily says, “When I become the intermediary, I will abolish all this foolishness from Iyi. No mother will ever cry over the loss of her child to Mami Wata in Iyi again.”

Mama Eche has a protégée named Prisca (played by Evelyne Ily, also known as Evelyne Ily Juhen), who’s about 10 years older than Zinwe. Prisca was orphaned as a child and raised by Mama Eche, who knew Prisca’s parents. Therefore, Zinwe and Prisca were treated like sisters when they were growing up. Zinwe is impulsive and rebellious, while Prisca is methodical and obedient.

Zinwe and Prisca are also polar opposites when it comes to spiritual beliefs and the direction in which they think the village should go. Zinwe is very reluctant to become an intermediary and is growing disillusioned in the village putting all of its faith in the power of Mami Wata. Prisca believes wholeheartedly in the power of Mami Wata and has welcomed Mama Eche’s training as an intermediary.

The village’s faith in Mama Eche’s intermediary powers is tested when an ailing boy (who is about 7 or 8 years old) is brought to Mama Eche and dies while foaming at the mouth in front of her and other villagers. The boy’s father is infuriated that Mama Eche could not save his son’s life. One of the male villagers yells at Mama Eche that the child could have been saved if they had brough the child to a hospital.

Mama Eche’s only response is that modern medicine cannot be trusted, and this village must have a faith in what Mami Wata wants. However, the discontent spreads as certain people in the village start to talk about new leadership and being open to getting modern medical treatment. A young man named Jabi (played by Kelechi Udegbe) is leading the disgruntled talk about Mami Wata not existing and that Mama Eche should be replaced as the leader of Iyi.

A visiting doctor (played by “Mami Wata” director Obasi) and a nurse (played by Joyce Tobi Lileru) arrive in Iyi because they heard about children dying in the village and suspect that a virus is spreading. The doctor offers to administer free vaccines to the villagers, but Mama Ecehe refuses the offer and denies that there is a virus spreading in the village. With nothing more that they can do, the doctor and the nurse leave.

Another stranger arrives in the village, and he will have a huge impact on what happens for the rest of the movie. His name is Jasper (played by Emeka Amakeze), who was found washed up on the beach. Prisca gets to know Jasper, and they have a mutual attraction. Jasper eventually opens up to Prisca about his past and says that he was a rebel fighter in a civil war, but he quit the rebellion and deserted his army. Jasper is worried that some of his former comrades might find him and get revenge.

“Mami Wata” starts off looking like a simple story about a daughter who is resistant to becoming her mother’s successor, and it turns into a more complex story that makes astute observations about civil wars and the power dynamics between men and women. The movie offers different perspectives of how people are affected by the pros and cons of ancient traditions versus modern ways of life.

Viewers who are accustomed to watching fast-talking people in movies will have to get used to the measured pacing of the dialogue in “Mami Wata.” All of the cast members are competent, with Ily, Aniunoh and Amakeze standing out the most because their respective characters of Prisca, Zinwe and Jasper are the most fully developed. “Mami Wata’s” greatest strength is in its absorbing story and how it is told. It leads to a stunning ending that can leave viewers breathless and emotionally moved.